Portrait of the Artist

There are several known self-portraits of Elliott including this version, which was exhibited at the National Academy of Design in 1850. From daguerreotypes of him made by Mathew Brady, this self-portrait, painted at the height of his career as New York’s leading portraitist, exhibits an excellent likeness. Elliott was greatly influenced by the advent of photography, displaying a photorealistic style evident in his often meticulous delineation of detail. The artist nonetheless maintained an energetic stroke and an ability to capture character with forceful clarity. Elliott's earliest self-portrait, dated 1834 (Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse), was followed by an oil sketch in 1845 (private collection, Los Angeles). His latest known self-portrait, in which the artist wears Rubenesque garb, was painted in 1860 for his friend William T. Walters (Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore).