Photography by Dwight Primiano
Marquis de Lafayette
The Marquis de Lafayette was a French political leader who enthusiastically supported the American Revolution. He became an American general and fought alongside Washington during the war. This loosely painted portrait served as a study for a full-length portrait, now hanging at New York City Hall.
Samuel Finley Breese Morse studied under Benjamin West at the Royal Academy in London. He was a tireless crusader for the advancement of art in American society, however he became more well-known for his invention of the telegraph than for his paintings.
ArtistSamuel Finley Breese Morse, 1791–1872
Date1825
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions42 x 37 x 4 3/4 in.
Signedl.l. in ochre-colored paint: MORSE. pinx / THE ORIGINAL SKETCH
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2005.26
ClassificationPainting
Provenanceto Philip Horne, ca. 1825; to (Inventory of Paintings, Statuary, Medals, etc, the Property of the Late Philip Horne to be sold at public auction…, New York, NY), April 28, 1852; purchased by William H. Osborn [1820-1894], 1852; to The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations, 1876; to (Sotheby's, Inc. New York, NY), November 30, 2005, lot 1; purchased by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2005
On ViewYes
This artwork's face covers about 213× the area of a tennis ball.Drawn to the same scale.