John Wesley Jarvis
By many accounts, John Wesley Jarvis was a flamboyant, eccentric person. Biographical sketches invariably include accounts of his outrageous fashion sense, his drunken adventures, and his uproarious storytelling. Born in England, he was brought to Philadelphia at five years old. At 16, he was apprenticed to a portrait painter and engraver. Jarvis eventually broke out on his own, developing a reputation as a sought-after portraitist and consummate storyteller.
Can a portrait describe someone’s personality?
In this portrait Hone pauses from his reading, his finger marking his place in the book he has just put down to meet our gaze. The slight twist in his posture also lends a degree of spontaneity to the moment. This portrait was painted when Hone was a young man. He later traveled through Europe and built an impressive art collection. He was a famous diarist, and became active in politics as a speaker and organizer. Later, as mayor of New York, he presided over the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd
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