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Allan Melville

1810
Not on view
In his novel "Pierre, or The Ambiguities" (1852), Herman Melville fictionalized this portrait of his father, describing the subject as the father of Pierre, the hero of the tale. The portrait so fascinated the younger Melville that an entire chapter, and much of the novel's theme, turns upon the mystery of the sitter's character, concealed by his youth, informality, and apparent candor. The portraitist Smith never exceeded his mastery here of exacting technique in the service of expression. The artist's métier in such cabinet-sized watercolor portraits stems from miniature painting and the related art of "stained drawings" developed in England in the late eighteenth century. Smith undoubtedly also derived his technique from his father, John Raphael Smith, who specialized in stipple engravings of portraits and genre scenes in his native London.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Allan Melville
  • Artist: John Rubens Smith (American, London 1775–1849 New York)
  • Date: 1810
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Watercolor, gouache, and graphite on smooth surfaced off-white wove paper
  • Dimensions: 8 7/8 x 6 3/4 in. (22.5 x 17.1 cm)
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Charlotte E. Hoadley, 1946
  • Object Number: 46.192.4
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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Gabriel V. Ludlow, John Rubens Smith American, Watercolor, gouache, and graphite on off-white wove paper, backed with laid paper and mounted on a wood strainer, American
Gabriel V. Ludlow
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1816
Arms of the City of New York
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ca. 1815
A View of Cooke's Tomb in St. Paul's Churchyard, New York
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