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Jacob Jennings Brown

Jacob Jennings Brown
Artist
John Wesley Jarvis, 1780 - 14 Jan 1840
Sitter
Jacob Jennings Brown, 9 May 1775 - 24 Feb 1828
Date
c. 1815
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Stretcher: 108 × 88.9 cm (42 1/2 × 35")
Frame: 127.6 × 107 × 13.3 cm (50 1/4 × 42 1/8 × 5 1/4")
Sight: 108 × 82.6 cm (42 1/2 × 32 1/2")
Topic
Costume\Headgear\Hat
Exterior
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Table
Costume\Dress Accessory\Glove
Costume\Dress Accessory\Epaulet
Costume\Jewelry\Fob
Jacob Jennings Brown: Male
Jacob Jennings Brown: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\General
Jacob Jennings Brown: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\War of 1812
Jacob Jennings Brown: Congressional Gold Medal
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift from the Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art (Museum Purchase, Gallery Fund and through the gift of Orme Wilson) The Corcoran Gallery of Art, one of the country’s first private museums, was established in 1869 to promote art and American genius. In 2014 the Works from the Corcoran Collection were distributed to institutions in Washington, D.C.
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.2019.27
Exhibition Label
Born Bucks County, Pennsylvania
General Jacob Jennings Brown was raised as a Quaker in Pennsylvania and later settled in upstate New York, near the eastern shore of Lake Ontario. A member of the New York state militia at the outset of the War of 1812 (1812–15), he rose to prominence for his leadership at the Battle of Sackets Harbor in May 1813. By early 1814, he had attained the rank of major general in the regular army and later fought valiantly at the Battle of Chippewa.
After the conflict with the British, New York City commissioned a series of seven portraits of American heroes—including Jacob Brown—from John Wesley Jarvis, most of them dramatic full-length paintings.
Brown posed for Jarvis in New York City in 1815 and 1816. This portrait, which descended in Brown’s family, was likely created for the sitter himself, as it is not as dramatic as the full-length version.
Nacido en Bucks County, Pensilvania
El general Jacob Jennings Brown, criado en la fe cuáquera en Pensilvania, se radicó luego en el norte de Nueva York, cerca de la costa este del lago Ontario. Participó en la milicia estatal de Nueva York al comienzo de la Guerra de 1812 (1812–15), destacándose por su liderazgo en la batalla de Sackets Harbor en mayo de 1813. Para 1814 ostentaba el rango de mayor general en el ejército regular y luego luchó con valentía en la batalla de Chippewa.
Tras el conflicto con los británicos, la Ciudad de Nueva York encargó a John Wesley Jarvis siete retratos de héroes estadounidenses (incluido Jacob Brown), la mayoría de ellos en un impactante formato de cuerpo entero. Brown posó para Jarvis en Nueva York en 1815 y 1816. Este retrato, conservado en la familia de Brown, fue posiblemente un encargo privado del modelo, ya que no es tan dramático como el de cuerpo entero.
Provenance
Family of Jacob Jennings Brown; Mrs. T. Bache Bleecker, great-great granddaughter of Jacob Jennings Brown; (M. Knoedler & Co.), New York, NY; Purchased by the Corcoran Gallery of Art and gift from the Honorable Orme Wilson, 1958; Gift to NPG, 2019.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view