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Samuel Pierpont Langley

Samuel Pierpont Langley
Artist
Unidentified Artist
Sitter
Samuel Pierpont Langley, 22 Aug 1834 - 27 Feb 1906
Date
c. 1900
Type
Photograph
Medium
Platinum print
Dimensions
Image/Sheet: 20.1 × 14.3 cm (7 15/16 × 5 5/8")
Mount: 32 × 25 cm (12 5/8 × 9 13/16")
Mat: 55.9 × 40.7 cm (22 × 16")
Topic
Costume\Jewelry
Interior
Home Furnishings\Furniture
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair
Printed Material\Book
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Table
Costume\Dress Accessory\Glove\Gloves
Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Mustache
Costume\Jewelry\Chain
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Beard
Home Furnishings\Curtain
Costume\Academic\Cap and gown
Costume\Robe
Samuel Pierpont Langley: Male
Samuel Pierpont Langley: Literature\Writer\Scientific writer
Samuel Pierpont Langley: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Professor\University
Samuel Pierpont Langley: Science and Technology\Scientist\Physicist
Samuel Pierpont Langley: Science and Technology\Inventor
Samuel Pierpont Langley: Education and Scholarship\Administrator\Smithsonian Institution\Secretary of Smithsonian Institution
Samuel Pierpont Langley: Science and Technology\Scientist\Astronomer
Samuel Pierpont Langley: Science and Technology\Aviator\Aeronaut
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
S/NPG.78.118
Exhibition Label
Trained as a civil engineer, Samuel Pierpont Langley’s work in astrophysics and education brought him to the Smithsonian Institution in 1886. Arriving as assistant secretary, he became secretary the following year. In that role, he established the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the National Zoo. Importantly, he lobbied for and negotiated the bequests of art that served as the foundational collections of the National Art Gallery (today’s Smithsonian American Art Museum) and the Freer Gallery of Art (now part of the National Museum of Asian Art).
Samuel Pierpont Langley estudió ingeniería civil, pero llegó a la Smithsonian Institution en 1886 por su trabajo en astrofísica y educación. Comenzó como secretario auxiliar y fue nombrado secretario al año siguiente. Como tal, estableció el Observatorio Astrofísico Smithsonian y el Zoológico Nacional. Muy importante fue su cabildeo y negociación por los legados de arte que formaron las colecciones iniciales de la Galería de Arte Nacional (hoy Museo Smithsonian de Arte Estadounidense) y la Galería de Arte Freer (hoy parte del Museo Nacional de Arte Asiático).
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view