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Washington Irving and his Literary Friends at Sunnyside

National Portrait Gallery

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Object Details

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
Exhibition Label
The artists Christian Schussele and Felix Darley created this apocryphal gathering of leading writers at Sunnyside, Washington Irving's Hudson River home, to honor the literary culture created by America's founding generation of writers. By making Irving the center of the image, the artists both glorify his career and at the same time celebrate the national culture. But in doing so, they made the writers too much alike. As a New York critic wrote, "If [Irving] could have caught a glimpse of such a gathering . . . [he] would have dashed out of doors." Nonetheless, the group portrait is an important summing up of an era in which American literature found its voice and created a vigorous national culture that a new generation-Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, Stephen Crane-would later enhance.
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.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
1864
Object number
NPG.82.147
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
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")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Exhibition
American Origins
On View
NPG, East Gallery 120
National Portrait Gallery
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\Navy\Secretary of the Navy
John Pendleton Kennedy: Education\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\Educator\Professor\College
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Communications\Translator
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Abolitionist
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Literature\Writer\Playwright
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Humanities and Social Sciences\Linguist
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Education\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: Humanities and Social Sciences\Philosopher\Transcendentalist
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.: Male
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.: Health and Medicine\Physician
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.: Literature\Writer\Poet
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.: Education\Educator\Professor\College
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.: Literature\Writer\Magazine article
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.: Literature\Writer\Essayist
James Fenimore Cooper: Male
James Fenimore Cooper: Military\Navy\Officer
James Fenimore Cooper: Literature\Writer\Magazine article
James Fenimore Cooper: Literature\Writer\Novelist
James Fenimore Cooper: Politics and Government\Diplomat\Consul
William Hickling Prescott: Male
William Hickling Prescott: Humanities and Social Sciences\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: Communications\Journalist
Nathaniel Parker Willis: Literature\Writer\Playwright
William Cullen Bryant: Male
William Cullen Bryant: Literature\Writer\Poet
William Cullen Bryant: Communications\Journalist
William Cullen Bryant: Communications\Journalist\Editor\Newspaper
Nathaniel Hawthorne: Male
Nathaniel Hawthorne: Literature\Writer\Novelist
Nathaniel Hawthorne: Politics and Government\Diplomat\Consul\US Consul
Washington Irving: Male
Washington Irving: Law and Law Enforcement\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\Navy\Secretary of the Navy
George Bancroft: Humanities and Social Sciences\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: Humanities and Social Sciences\Critic\Literary
Henry Theodore Tuckerman: Literature\Writer\Travel
James Kirke Paulding: Male
James Kirke Paulding: Literature\Writer\Poet
James Kirke Paulding: Military\Navy\Secretary of the Navy
James Kirke Paulding: Literature\Writer\Novelist
William Gilmore Simms: Male
William Gilmore Simms: Literature\Writer\Novelist
Portrait
Record ID
npg_NPG.82.147
Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4a136d626-754f-48b4-8be4-92dce6d4ee69
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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