Mrs. Albert J. Myer (Catherine Walden)

George Peter Alexander Healy, Mrs. Albert J. Myer (Catherine Walden), 1876, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1934.6.2
Copied George Peter Alexander Healy, Mrs. Albert J. Myer (Catherine Walden), 1876, oil on canvas, 30 1⁄8 x 25 1⁄8 in. (76.4 x 63.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1934.6.2
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Mrs. Albert J. Myer (Catherine Walden)
Artist
Date
1876
Location
Dimensions
30 1⁄8 x 25 1⁄8 in. (76.4 x 63.7 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait female — Myer, Albert James, Mrs. — waist length
  • Portrait female — Walden, Catherine — waist length
Object Number
1934.6.2
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1934.6.2

Artwork Description

Catherine Walden was the wife of General Albert J. Myer, who established the Army Signal Corps during the Civil War. In this lively portrait, George Healy shows Mrs. Myer with a twinkle in her eye and a knowing grin. She exudes a warm personality that was likely a comfort to the politicians and top military officers she met during her husband’s service in the Civil War. Healy lived in Paris from 1872 to 1892, and made about thirty trips to America for portrait commissions.