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Portrait of a Gentleman
John Alexander McDougall (born 1810/11-died NY 1894)
1839
- Medium
- watercolor on ivory
- Classification
- Paintings
- Dimensions
- sight 2 x 1 7/8 in. (5.1 x 4.8 cm) oval
- Museum
- Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
- Rights
- CC0 (Smithsonian Open Access), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Smithsonian Institution
About this work
John Alexander McDougall painted these sitters, possibly a husband and wife, while he was in New Orleans in 1839. The artist used different backgrounds for each painting. The plain background of the gentleman’s portrait complements the blue of his eyes, while the dark trees surrounding the lady emphasize her pale complexion. Conservation of these miniatures was made possible through a generous grant provided by the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.
