Mrs. Katherine Matthews

Thomas Sully

1812–13 · Oil on canvas · The American Wing

According to the artist’s personal registers, this portrait was painted between December 1, 1812 and January 31, 1813, and cost the sitter seventy dollars. It reveals the influence of Sully's English trip of 1809–10, during which time he studied with Benjamin West and found his stylistic model in the work of the English portraitist Sir Thomas Lawrence. In fact, this painting is a half-length adaptation of Lawrence's "Elizabeth Farren, Countess of Derby" (also in the Museum's collection). The sitter’s dynamic gesture, turn of the head, and fashionable fur wrap—as well as Sully’s bravura brushwork—are all borrowed from Lawrence. However, the American de-emphasizes the sensuality of the original work, stressing instead an air of charm and social standing suitable for a Philadelphia lady.

Artist

Thomas Sully

Date

1812–13

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1906