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Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson
Artist
Charles Bird King, 26 Sep 1785 - 18 Mar 1862
Copy after
Gilbert Stuart, 3 Dec 1755 - 9 Jul 1828
Sitter
Thomas Jefferson, 13 Apr 1743 - 4 Jul 1826
Date
1836
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on wood panel
Dimensions
Frame (Verified): 72.4 x 65.4 x 8.6cm (28 1/2 x 25 3/4 x 3 3/8")
Stretcher: 57.2 × 48.3cm (22 1/2 × 19")
Topic
Thomas Jefferson: Male
Thomas Jefferson: Law and Crime\Lawyer
Thomas Jefferson: Politics and Government\Congressman\Continental congressman
Thomas Jefferson: Politics and Government\Statesman\Colonial statesman\Signer of Declaration
Thomas Jefferson: Politics and Government\Vice-President of US
Thomas Jefferson: Natural Resource Occupations\Agriculturist\Farmer
Thomas Jefferson: Visual Arts\Architect
Thomas Jefferson: Politics and Government\President of US
Thomas Jefferson: Politics and Government\Cabinet member\Secretary of State
Thomas Jefferson: Politics and Government\Diplomat\Minister
Thomas Jefferson: Science and Technology\Inventor
Thomas Jefferson: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Virginia
Thomas Jefferson: Politics and Government\Governor\Virginia
Thomas Jefferson: Education and Scholarship\Founder\University
Portrait
Place
United States\District of Columbia\Washington
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.92.110
Exhibition Label
Born Shadwell, Virginia
This work replicates an unusual profile portrait of Thomas Jefferson that Gilbert Stuart painted in 1805, at the beginning of Jefferson’s second presidential term. The neoclassical composition “in the medallion form” was suggested by Jefferson, who later wrote that the original portrait (now owned by Harvard University) was “deemed the best which has been taken of me.” Jefferson’s relatives also admired the profile, and in 1836, ten years after Jefferson’s death, the painter Charles Bird King made this copy of the work for them.
Nacido en Shadwell, Virginia
Esta obra es una réplica de un inusual retrato en perfil de Thomas Jefferson pintado por Gilbert Stuart en 1805, a principios de su segundo término presidencial. La composición neoclásica “en forma de medallón” fue sugerida por Jefferson, quien más tarde escribió que el retrato original (ahora propiedad de la Universidad de Harvard) se “consideraba el mejor de mis retratos”. La familia del president también admiraba el perfil, y en 1836, diez años después de su muerte, el pintor Charles Bird King realizó esta copia de la obra para ellos.
Provenance
Nicholas Philip Trist [1800-1874] and his wife, Jefferson's granddaughter Virginia Jefferson Randolph Trist; by family descent to Gordon Trist Burke; his daughter Harriott Burke Killibrew; sold through (Kramer Gallery, Inc., St. Paul, Minn.) 1992 to NPG
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Exhibition
America's Presidents (Reinstallation September 2017)
On View
NPG, South Gallery 240