Portrait of John B. Carmac, in Greek Evzone Costume

Walter Gould, Portrait of John B. Carmac, in Greek Evzone Costume, 1853, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1974.108
Copied Walter Gould, Portrait of John B. Carmac, in Greek Evzone Costume, 1853, oil on canvas, 24 1⁄8 x 27 5⁄8 in. (61.2 x 70.1 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1974.108
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Artwork Details

Title
Portrait of John B. Carmac, in Greek Evzone Costume
Artist
Date
1853
Location
Dimensions
24 1⁄8 x 27 5⁄8 in. (61.2 x 70.1 cm.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Keywords
  • Portrait male — Carmac, John B.
  • Dress — Greek dress
  • Architecture Interior
Object Number
1974.108
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1974.108

Artwork Description

Walter Gould painted this image in Florence in 1853, soon after he returned from Greece and Turkey. He posed the figure wearing Greek military costume and holding a long-stemmed pipe; there is also a water pipe, or hookah, on the floor beside the window. Gould was fascinated by the smoking habits of the people he met on his travels and, after witnessing the Ramadan fast in Turkey, was shocked that after having no food or drink all day, “the first thing a Turk makes a dive at . . . is his pipe.” (Letter from the artist, Kutahia, Asia Minor, four days from Constantinople, July 9, 1851, SAAM curatorial file)