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Washington Irving and his Literary Friends at Sunnyside

Washington Irving and his Literary Friends at Sunnyside
Artist
Christian Schussele, 16 Apr 1824 - 1879
Designer
Felix Octavius Carr Darley, 23 Jun 1822 - 27 Mar 1888
Sitter
Washington Irving, 3 Apr 1783 - 28 Nov 1859
Henry Theodore Tuckerman, 1813 - 1871
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., 29 Aug 1809 - 7 Oct 1894
Nathaniel Hawthorne, 4 Jul 1804 - 19 May 1864
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 27 Feb 1807 - 24 Mar 1882
Nathaniel Parker Willis, 20 Jan 1806 - 20 Jan 1867
James Kirke Paulding, 22 Aug 1778 - 6 Apr 1860
William Cullen Bryant, 3 Nov 1794 - 12 Jun 1878
John Pendleton Kennedy, 25 Oct 1795 - 18 Aug 1870
William Gilmore Simms, 17 Apr 1806 - 11 Jun 1870
Fitz-Greene Halleck, 8 Jul 1790 - 19 Nov 1867
William Hickling Prescott, 4 May 1796 - 28 Jan 1859
Ralph Waldo Emerson, 25 May 1803 - 27 Apr 1882
James Fenimore Cooper, 15 Sep 1789 - 14 Sep 1851
George Bancroft, 3 Oct 1800 - 17 Jan 1891
Date
1864
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Sight: 134.6 x 199.4 x 3.8cm (53 x 78 1/2 x 1 1/2")
Frame: 158.8 x 224.8 x 14cm (62 1/2 x 88 1/2 x 5 1/2")
Topic
Interior\Interior with Exterior View
Artwork\Painting
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Bookcase
Costume\Headgear\Hat\Top hat
Nature & Environment\Animal\Dog
John Pendleton Kennedy: Male
John Pendleton Kennedy: Military and Intelligence\Navy\Secretary of the Navy
John Pendleton Kennedy: Education and Scholarship\Administrator\University administrator\University trustee
John Pendleton Kennedy: Literature\Writer\Novelist
John Pendleton Kennedy: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Maryland
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Male
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Literature\Writer
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Literature\Writer\Poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Professor\College
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Education and Scholarship\Scholar\Translator
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Abolitionist
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Literature\Writer\Playwright
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Education and Scholarship\Scholar\Linguist
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Librarian
Fitz-Greene Halleck: Male
Fitz-Greene Halleck: Literature\Writer\Poet
Fitz-Greene Halleck: Literature\Writer\Satirist
Ralph Waldo Emerson: Male
Ralph Waldo Emerson: Literature\Writer\Poet
Ralph Waldo Emerson: Literature\Writer\Essayist
Ralph Waldo Emerson: Society and Social Change\Transcendentalist
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.: Male
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.: Medicine and Health\Physician
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.: Literature\Writer\Poet
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Professor\College
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.: Literature\Writer\Magazine article writer
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.: Literature\Writer\Essayist
James Fenimore Cooper: Male
James Fenimore Cooper: Military and Intelligence\Navy\Officer
James Fenimore Cooper: Literature\Writer\Magazine article writer
James Fenimore Cooper: Literature\Writer\Novelist
James Fenimore Cooper: Politics and Government\Diplomat\Consul
William Hickling Prescott: Male
William Hickling Prescott: Education and Scholarship\Scholar\Historian
William Hickling Prescott: Literature\Writer\Historical
Nathaniel Parker Willis: Male
Nathaniel Parker Willis: Literature\Writer
Nathaniel Parker Willis: Literature\Writer\Poet
Nathaniel Parker Willis: Journalism and Media\Journalist
Nathaniel Parker Willis: Literature\Writer\Playwright
William Cullen Bryant: Male
William Cullen Bryant: Literature\Writer\Poet
William Cullen Bryant: Journalism and Media\Journalist
William Cullen Bryant: Journalism and Media\Newspaper editor
Nathaniel Hawthorne: Male
Nathaniel Hawthorne: Literature\Writer\Novelist
Nathaniel Hawthorne: Politics and Government\Diplomat\Consul\US Consul
Washington Irving: Male
Washington Irving: Law and Crime\Lawyer
Washington Irving: Politics and Government\Diplomat
Washington Irving: Literature\Writer\Novelist
Washington Irving: Literature\Writer\Historical
George Bancroft: Male
George Bancroft: Literature\Writer
George Bancroft: Military and Intelligence\Navy\Secretary of the Navy
George Bancroft: Education and Scholarship\Scholar\Historian
George Bancroft: Politics and Government\Diplomat\Minister
Henry Theodore Tuckerman: Male
Henry Theodore Tuckerman: Literature\Writer\Poet
Henry Theodore Tuckerman: Literature\Writer\Biographer
Henry Theodore Tuckerman: Literature\Writer\Essayist
Henry Theodore Tuckerman: Literature\Literary critic
Henry Theodore Tuckerman: Literature\Writer\Travel writer
James Kirke Paulding: Male
James Kirke Paulding: Literature\Writer\Poet
James Kirke Paulding: Military and Intelligence\Navy\Secretary of the Navy
James Kirke Paulding: Literature\Writer\Novelist
William Gilmore Simms: Male
William Gilmore Simms: Literature\Writer\Novelist
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.82.147
Exhibition Label
This imaginary scene shows fifteen celebrated literary figures gathered at the home of Washington Irving, author of such popular tales as “Rip Van Winkle” (1819) and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (1820). Advertisements published in the New York Times in December 1863 announced the painting’s exhibition at a Manhattan art gallery, where visitors could purchase a fifty-four-page booklet describing the work. “It is, in the truest and completest sense, a National picture,” the anonymous author declared, and its production “will be universally regarded as a National event.”
The painting resulted from a collaborative effort. The photographer Mathew Brady captured the likeness of each writer (including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Irving himself), and the artist F. O. C. Darley designed the group composition. Working from those materials, Christian Schussele painted this canvas while Thomas Oldham Barlow engraved a widely reproduced print.
Esta escena imaginaria reúne a 15 figuras literarias célebres en casa de Washington Irving, autor de cuentos tan populares como “Rip Van Winkle” (1819) y “La leyenda de Sleepy Hollow” (1820). En diciembre de 1863 se anunció en el New York Times la exposición de la pintura en una galería de Manhattan, donde los visitantes podían comprar un folleto de 54 páginas que describía la obra. “Es, en el sentido más cabal y verdadero, una pintura nacional”, declaró el autor anónimo del folleto, y su creación “se considerará universalmente como un evento nacional”.
La pintura fue resultado de un esfuerzo colectivo. El fotógrafo Mathew Brady retrató a cada escritor (entre ellos Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ralph Waldo Emerson y el propio Irving) y el artista F. O. C. Darley creó la composición grupal. Basándose en dichos materiales, Christian Schussele pintó este cuadro y Thomas Oldham Barlow produjo un grabado que se reprodujo ampliamente.
Provenance
(Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc.); purchased 1982 NPG
According to Hirschl & Adler, prior provenance was: (Williams and Everett, Boston); private collection; (Williams and Everett); (The Casson Galleries, Boston); Walter Parker, Manchester, N.H.; Mrs. Norman F. Milne, Manchester, N.H. Williams and Everett was a Boston gallery fl. 1855-1907.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Exhibition
Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900
On View
NPG, East Gallery 124