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Men of Progress

Men of Progress
Artist
Christian Schussele, 16 Apr 1824 - 1879
Sitter
William Thomas Green Morton, 9 Aug 1819 - 15 Jul 1868
James Bogardus, 14 Mar 1800 - 13 Apr 1874
Samuel Colt, 19 Jul 1814 - 10 Jan 1862
Cyrus Hall McCormick, 15 Feb 1809 - 13 May 1884
Joseph Saxton, 22 Mar 1799 - 26 Oct 1873
Charles Goodyear, 29 Dec 1800 - 1 Jul 1860
Peter Cooper, 12 Feb 1791 - 4 Apr 1883
Jordan Lawrence Mott, 12 Oct 1799 - 1866
Joseph Henry, 17 Dec 1797 - 13 May 1878
Eliphalet Nott, 25 Jun 1773 - 29 Jan 1866
John Ericsson, 31 Jul 1803 - 8 Mar 1889
Frederick Ellsworth Sickels, 20 Sep 1819 - 8 Mar 1895
Samuel Finley Breese Morse, 27 Apr 1791 - 2 Apr 1872
Henry Burden, 22 Apr 1791 - 19 Jan 1871
Richard March Hoe, 12 Sep 1812 - 7 Jun 1886
Erastus Brigham Bigelow, 2 Apr 1814 - 6 Dec 1879
Isaiah Jennings, 1792 - 1862
Thomas Blanchard, 24 Jun 1788 - 16 Apr 1864
Elias Howe, 9 Jul 1819 - 3 Oct 1867
Date
1862
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Stretcher: 128.3 x 190.5 x 5.1cm (50 1/2 x 75 x 2")
Frame: 162.6 x 225.7 x 12.7cm (64 x 88 7/8 x 5")
Topic
Interior
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair
Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Table
Equipment\Walking stick\Cane
Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses\Pince-nez
Architecture\Column
Artwork\Portrait
Weapon\Gun\Pistol
Art implements\Architectural drawing
Equipment\Patent model
Isaiah Jennings: Male
Isaiah Jennings: Medicine and Health\Dentist
Isaiah Jennings: Science and Technology\Inventor\Dental
Isaiah Jennings: Science and Technology\Inventor\Firearms
Joseph Henry: Male
Joseph Henry: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Professor
Joseph Henry: Science and Technology\Scientist\Physicist
Joseph Henry: Education and Scholarship\Administrator\Smithsonian Institution\Secretary of Smithsonian Institution
Elias Howe: Male
Elias Howe: Science and Technology\Inventor\Sewing machine
Elias Howe: Crafts and Trades\Machinist
William Thomas Green Morton: Male
William Thomas Green Morton: Literature\Writer\Medical writer
William Thomas Green Morton: Science and Technology\Inventor\Medical
William Thomas Green Morton: Medicine and Health\Dentist
William Thomas Green Morton: Medicine and Health\Physician\Anaesthetist
Charles Goodyear: Male
Charles Goodyear: Science and Technology\Inventor
Charles Goodyear: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Industrialist\Manufacturer\Rubber
Charles Goodyear: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Merchant\Retailer
James Bogardus: Male
James Bogardus: Visual Arts\Artist\Medalist
James Bogardus: Science and Technology\Inventor
James Bogardus: Science and Technology\Engineer\Structural engineer
Joseph Saxton: Male
Joseph Saxton: Science and Technology\Inventor
Joseph Saxton: Crafts and Trades\Clockmaker
Jordan Lawrence Mott: Male
Jordan Lawrence Mott: Society and Social Change\Philanthropist\Patron of the arts
Jordan Lawrence Mott: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Merchant
Jordan Lawrence Mott: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Industrialist\Manufacturer\Iron
Cyrus Hall McCormick: Male
Cyrus Hall McCormick: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Industrialist\Manufacturer
Cyrus Hall McCormick: Society and Social Change\Philanthropist
Cyrus Hall McCormick: Science and Technology\Inventor
Cyrus Hall McCormick: Society and Social Change\Administrator\Historical society administrator\President
Henry Burden: Male
Henry Burden: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Entrepreneur
Henry Burden: Science and Technology\Inventor
Henry Burden: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Industrialist\Manufacturer\Iron
Henry Burden: Crafts and Trades\Metalworker\Ironmaster
Henry Burden: Business and Finance\Transportation\Shipbuilder
Erastus Brigham Bigelow: Male
Erastus Brigham Bigelow: Science and Technology\Inventor\Loom
Erastus Brigham Bigelow: Education and Scholarship\Founder\Technical institute
Samuel Colt: Male
Samuel Colt: Science and Technology\Inventor
Samuel Colt: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Industrialist\Manufacturer\Firearms
Thomas Blanchard: Male
Thomas Blanchard: Science and Technology\Inventor
Richard March Hoe: Male
Richard March Hoe: Science and Technology\Inventor\Press
Frederick Ellsworth Sickels: Male
Frederick Ellsworth Sickels: Science and Technology\Inventor
Frederick Ellsworth Sickels: Science and Technology\Engineer\Structural engineer
Frederick Ellsworth Sickels: Science and Technology\Engineer\Civil engineer\Bridge builder
Eliphalet Nott: Male
Eliphalet Nott: Education and Scholarship\Administrator\College administrator\President
Eliphalet Nott: Science and Technology\Inventor
Eliphalet Nott: Religion and Spirituality\Clergy\Minister
Peter Cooper: Male
Peter Cooper: Business and Finance\Businessperson
Peter Cooper: Education and Scholarship\Founder\School
Peter Cooper: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Industrialist\Manufacturer
Peter Cooper: Society and Social Change\Philanthropist
Peter Cooper: Science and Technology\Inventor
Peter Cooper: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Industrialist\Manufacturer\Iron
John Ericsson: Male
John Ericsson: Science and Technology\Inventor
John Ericsson: Science and Technology\Engineer\Military engineer
John Ericsson: Science and Technology\Engineer\Marine engineer
John Ericsson: Business and Finance\Transportation\Shipbuilder
Samuel Finley Breese Morse: Male
Samuel Finley Breese Morse: Visual Arts\Artist\Painter
Samuel Finley Breese Morse: Visual Arts\Artist\Portraitist
Samuel Finley Breese Morse: Journalism and Media\Journalist
Samuel Finley Breese Morse: Visual Arts\Art instructor
Samuel Finley Breese Morse: Education and Scholarship\Founder\College
Samuel Finley Breese Morse: Science and Technology\Inventor
Samuel Finley Breese Morse: Science and Technology\Inventor\Telegraph
Portrait
Place
United States\Pennsylvania\Philadelphia\Philadelphia
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; transfer from the National Gallery of Art; gift of the A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, 1942
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.65.60
Exhibition Label
In 1857, the inventor of a coal-burning stove, Jordan Mott, commissioned Christian Schussele to paint this group portrait of nineteen scientists and inventors of the United States who “had altered the course of contemporary civilization.” Schussele represents the group gathered around a table discussing Samuel F. B. Morse’s telegraph device, with other inventions and diagrams scattered about the room. The portrait did not commemorate an actual occasion but was meant to honor national achievement. Schussele began by sketching each figure individually before designing the group composition. In the background, he included a painting of the men’s famed eighteenth-century predecessor, Benjamin Franklin.
Men of Progress pays tribute to the remarkable growth of the U.S. economy by the 1850s. It celebrates the inventions and processes of manufacturing pioneered by men such as Cyrus McCormick, Charles Goodyear, Samuel Colt, Elias Howe, and Joseph Henry, first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
En 1857, el inventor de la estufa de carbón, Jordan Mott, encargó a Christian Schussele este retrato grupal de 19 científicos e inventores de Estados Unidos que “habían alterado el curso de la civilización contemporánea”. Schussele presenta al grupo en torno a una mesa, examinando el telégrafo de Samuel F. B. Morse, con otros inventos y diagramas dispersos por el salón. El retrato no pretendía conmemorar una ocasión real, sino honrar los logros nacionales. Schussele comenzó por esbozar cada figura por separado antes de fijar la composición de grupo. Al fondo incluyó una pintura del célebre antecesor de estos hombres en el siglo XVIII, Benjamin Franklin.
Hombres del progreso rinde tributo al extraordinario crecimiento económico logrado en EE.UU. para la década de 1850. Celebra las invenciones y los procesos de manufactura originados por hombres como Cyrus McCormick, Charles Goodyear, Samuel Colt, Elias Howe y Joseph Henry, primer secretario de la Smithsonian Institution.
Provenance
Jordan Lawrence Mott; Mott family; (M. Knoedler & Co., New York); purchased 21 January 1937 by The A. W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, Pittsburgh; gift to NGA 1942; transferred 1965 to NPG.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Exhibition
Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900
On View
NPG, East Gallery 120