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Artist
Théobald Chartran, 20 Jul 1849 - 18 Jul 1907
Sitter
James Gibbons, 23 Jul 1834 - 24 Mar 1921
Date
1904
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Sight: 146.7 x 98.4cm (57 3/4 x 38 3/4")
Frame: 177.8 x 128.9 x 8.9cm (70 x 50 3/4 x 3 1/2")
Topic
Interior
Religious\Cross
Costume\Outerwear\Cape
James Gibbons: Male
James Gibbons: Literature\Writer
James Gibbons: Religion and Spirituality\Clergy\Prelate\Cardinal
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; donated in memory of James Gibbons Burke by Mary Rose Shea Burke and children
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.91.196
Exhibition Label
Born Baltimore, Maryland
James Gibbons was one of the most influential clerics of his day. Ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1861, he became the youngest U.S. bishop in 1868, at age thirty-four, and was made a cardinal in 1886. While “he reigned in Baltimore like a king,” a British admirer once wrote, “he met every man like a comrade.” Committed to aiding the working class, Gibbons helped prevent the church from condemning Catholic laborers who participated in the Knights of Labor’s struggle for improved working conditions. He was also instrumental in maintaining unity in an increasingly diverse U.S. Catholic Church by promoting the acculturation of its foreign-born membership.
A friend to several U.S. presidents, Gibbons often provided counsel on issues ranging from tariff policy to the annexation of the Philippines. The French artist Théobald Chartran’s portrait of Gibbons captures the congenial personality that accounted in large part for his wide influence.
Nacido en Baltimore, Maryland
James Gibbons fue uno de los clérigos más influyentes de su época. Se ordenó como sacerdote católico en 1861, pasó a ser el obispo más joven de EE.UU. en 1868, a los 34 años, y fue investido cardenal en 1886. Cuando “reinaba en Baltimore”, escribió un admirador británico, “trataba a cada hombre como un camarada”. Comprometido con la clase trabajadora, Gibbons ayudó a evitar que la Iglesia condenara a los obreros católicos que participaban con los Caballeros del Trabajo en la lucha por mejores condiciones laborales. Asimismo, mantuvo la unidad nacional de una Iglesia católica cada vez más diversa al promover la aculturación de los fieles nacidos en el extranjero.
Amigo de varios presidentes, Gibbons prestó su consejo en temas que iban desde políticas tarifarias hasta la anexión de las Filipinas. El retrato realizado por el francés Théobald Chartran capta esa congenialidad de Gibbons que le ganó en gran medida su amplia influencia.
Provenance
The sitter; gift to his great-niece Vertilee Stanton [Mrs. Charles Willis Wells], New Orleans; James Gibbons Burke [1902-1989], grandson of sitter’s brother; his wife Mary Rose Shea Burke, New Orleans; gift 1991 to NPG
