The American School

Matthew Pratt

1765 · Oil on canvas · The American Wing

The picture depicts a scene in the London studio of Benjamin West, who is generally agreed to be the figure standing at the left. Based on comparisons to self-portraits, Pratt is the man at the easel, an accomplished portrait painter. The identities of the other artists represented in the picture remain uncertain, but they are younger and they draw rather than paint. The composition explores the academic tradition as carried out among Americans in late-eighteenth century London.

Artist

Matthew Pratt

Date

1765

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Samuel P. Avery, 1897