dc:identifier=httphdllocgovlocpnpggbain21129

Lafayette by S.F.B. Morse (LOC)

from The Library of Congress

• swanq said:

  S.F.B. Morse is presumably www.nyu.edu/greyart/information/Samuel_F_B__Morse/body_sa... "Better known as the inventor of the electric telegraph, Samuel F. B. Morse was also a professor of painting and sculpture at New York University, which was founded in 1832. His appointment that year to the first such professorship in the United States represents a milestone in his mission to promote the fine arts as truly American. " Corbis has a photo of the portrait in color www.corbisimages.com/stock-photo/rights-managed/MA01644A/...

• swanq said:

  From en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Morse#Painting "Morse was honored to paint the Marquis de Lafayette, the leading French supporter of the American Revolution. He felt compelled to paint a grand portrait of the man who helped to establish a free and independent America. In his image, he enshrouds Lafayette with a magnificent sunset. He has positioned Lafayette to the right of three pedestals: one has a bust of Benjamin Franklin, another of George Washington, and the third seems reserved for Lafayette. A peaceful woodland landscape below him symbolized American tranquility and prosperity as it approached the age of fifty. The developing friendship between Morse and Lafayette, and their discussions of the Revolutionary War, affected the artist after his return to New York City." inventors.about.com/od/mstartinventors/a/samuel_morse.htm indicates that the portrait was commissioned by New York City. www.nyc.gov/html/artcom/html/tours/visit_guide_collection... indicates that it hangs in City Hall in New York. NYT of Feb 22, 1916 query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30D14F93E5E13738... indicates that it was exhibited in a Lafayette exhibition