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⊠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
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Hills no. 31.1.173
John Van Schaick Lansing Pruyn
Alternate titles: possibly John V. S. Lansing Pruyn; Portrait of Councillor Pruyn; Portrait of John Van Schaick Lansing Pruyn, Chancellor of the University of the State of New York
c.1883
Oil on board
22 1/4 x 14 5/16 in. (56.5 x 36.4 cm)
Initialed lower left: E.J.
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Markings
Inscribed on verso: J.V.S. Pruyn; E. J. [likely in Johnson's hand]; Framed LeB[ ]ey [illegible]; 44131 [in oval]
Labels
Label on verso of frame: William A. Farnsworth Library & Museum with accession number 66.1477
References
Chinese and Japanese Works of Art, Eighteen Early Studies and Paintings by Eastman Johnson. New York:
Kende Galleries,
May 1–2, 1940.
Sale catalogue, p. 38, no. 290, as
Portrait of John Van Schaick Lansing Pruyn, Chancellor of the University of the State of New York.
Sitter Biography
Sitter: Pruyn, John Van Schaick Lansing
Biography: John Van Schaick Lansing Pruyn (June 22, 1811–November 21, 1877). U.S. Representative from New York and Chancellor of the University of the State of New York Board of Regents, 1868–1877.
Pruyn, John Van Schaick Lansing
Keywords
- Portrait pose:
- Posthumous:
Record last updated August 2, 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 Van Schaick Lansing Pruyn, c.1883 (Hills no. 31.1.173)." Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné. www.eastmanjohnson.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=1629 (accessed on March 29, 2024).