Captain Robert Lillibridge

William Verstille, Captain Robert Lillibridge, ca. 1795, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1975.59.1
Copied William Verstille, Captain Robert Lillibridge, ca. 1795, watercolor on ivory, sight 2 3⁄8 x 1 3⁄4 in. (6.0 x 4.4 cm) oval, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1975.59.1
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Captain Robert Lillibridge
Artist
Date
ca. 1795
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sight 2 3⁄8 x 1 3⁄4 in. (6.0 x 4.4 cm) oval
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor on ivory
Classifications
Keywords
  • Dress — historic — eighteenth century dress
  • Portrait male — Lillibridge, Robert
Object Number
1975.59.1
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1975.59.1

Artwork Description

Robert Lillibridge, a sea captain born in 1767, died aboard his ship of typhoid fever in 1809. His crew buried him at sea off the coast of Africa. This portrait of Captain Lillibridge shows William Verstille’s tendency to portray his subjects with dramatic eyes set closely under the brows, with “bristly” hair and thin lips that appear slightly misplaced.