Catalogue Entry
enlarge
Photo: Reproduced in Portraits of the American Stage 1771–1971, 1971
⊠31.1 U.S. Portraits, Men
When Johnson returned to the United States, he not only painted genre paintings but he also continued to paint portraits, which gave him a steady income. After 1880 Johnson turned to portraiture almost exclusively. During the 1880s and 1890s he painted businessmen, lawyers, university presidents, and three U.S. presidents from life. At times he also painted their wives and children.
He was also commissioned to paint posthumous portraits, often from photographs. These portraits by and large do not have the sparkle and active brushwork of those done from life. It seems that the demand for portraits of business and civic leaders (and members of exclusive men’s clubs) was so high that portrait painters would often make copies of each other’s paintings to satisfy the market for such images. In many instances, it has been difficult to render opinions for such paintings. —PH
View all works in this theme »
Hills no. 31.1.134
John Edward McCullough
Alternate titles: John [Edward] McCullough; John McCullough as Virginius; John McCullough in the title role of John Sheridan Knowles' "Virginius"
likely 1879
Oil on canvas
36 x 30 in. (91.4 x 76.2 cm)
Signed and dated lower right: E. Johnson/18[79] [penultimate digit ambiguous]
Provenance
John W. Mackay
The Players, New York (by gift)
Exhibitions
1971 National Portrait Gallery
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Portraits of the American Stage, September 11–October 31, 1971.
References
Bamburgh 1906
Bamburgh, W. C. Catalogue of Part of the Art Treasures Owned by the Players. New York:
Players,
1906, p. 7, no. 98, as
John [Edward] McCullough, Presented by John W. Mackay.Players 1925
Catalogue of the Paintings and the Art Treasures of the Players. New York:
Players,
1925, p. 15, no. 72, as
John McCullough as Virginius.National Portrait Gallery 1971
National Portrait Gallery. Portraits of the American Stage 1771–1971. Washington, DC:
Smithsonian Institution Press,
1971, illus.
Sitter Biography
Sitter: McCullough, John
Biography: John McCullough (1832–1885). Actor. First appeared as Thomas in “The Belle’s Stratagem” in 1857 at the Arch Street Theatre, Philadelphia, under the management of William Wheatley and John Drew, Sr. His repertory included thirty characters, most affecting of which was Virginius. “He played much with Forrest, who left him his manuscript plays, and regarded him as his histrionic successor. He died insane” [The Players catalogue].
Record last updated September 27, 2021. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Hills, Patricia, and Abigael MacGibeny. "John Edward McCullough, likely 1879 (Hills no. 31.1.134)." Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné. www.eastmanjohnson.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=1248 (accessed on May 6, 2024).
