Charles Tyson Yerkes

Object Details

Artist

Jan Van Beers, 1852 - 1927

Sitter

Charles Tyson Yerkes, 25 Jun 1837 - 29 Dec 1905

Exhibition Label

Born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Through shrewd and often unscrupulous business practices, the financier and entrepreneur Charles Yerkes established streetcar lines in Chicago in the late 1880s and headed the syndicate that built the London Underground at the turn of the century. In 1892, Yerkes contributed some of his fortune to the University of Chicago to build the Yerkes Observatory. It included what was then the world’s largest refracting telescope—one of the principal attractions of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

Yerkes helped underwrite the exposition and served on its fine arts committee. He also loaned several works of art, including twelve paintings by his favorite contemporary artist, the Belgian painter Jan Van Beers. This portrait, a gift from the artist to his faithful patron, was one of the works on display. In 1895, Yerkes erected a lavish mansion in New York City to house his large collection of European paintings and sculptures.

Nacido en Filadelfia, Pensilvania

Mediante prácticas astutas y a menudo inescrupulosas, el financiero y emprendedor Charles Yerkes estableció líneas de tranvía en Chicago a fines de la década de 1880 y dirigió el equipo que construyó el subterráneo de Londres a principios del siglo XX. En 1892 donó parte de su fortuna a la Universidad de Chicago para la construcción del Observatorio Yerkes, hogar del que entonces era el telescopio refractor más grande del mundo. Esta fue una de las atracciones principales de la Exposición Mundial Colombina de 1893 en Chicago.

Yerkes ayudó a financiar la exposición y participó en el comité de bellas artes. También prestó varias obras de arte, incluidas 12 pinturas de su artista contemporáneo favorito, el belga Jan van Beers, entre ellas este retrato, regalo del artista a su fiel mecenas. En 1895 Yerkes construyó una suntuosa mansión en Nueva York para albergar su vasta colección de pinturas y esculturas europeas.

Provenance

Mrs. Edith R. Rudolphy [Mrs. Jay Besson Rudolphy], Wayne, Pa., granddaughter of sitter; gift 1976 to NPG

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Mrs. Jay Besson Rudolphy

c. 1893

Object number

NPG.76.28

Restrictions & Rights

CC0

Type

Painting

Medium

Oil on wood

Dimensions

Frame: 54 x 48.3 x 5.7cm (21 1/4 x 19 x 2 1/4")

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Exhibition

Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900

On View

NPG, East Gallery 131

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Printed Material\Book

Printed Material\Document

Artwork\Painting

Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Mustache

Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses\Pince-nez

Costume\Jewelry\Ring\Wedding Band

Interior\Domestic\Study

Charles Tyson Yerkes: Male

Charles Tyson Yerkes: Business and Finance\Financier

Charles Tyson Yerkes: Social Welfare and Reform\Philanthropist

Charles Tyson Yerkes: Law and Crime\Criminal\Thief\Embezzler

Portrait

Record ID

npg_NPG.76.28

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4286e138f-2fac-4619-b6c8-8d6a1e0b289d