Portrait of a Gentleman

George Catlin, Portrait of a Gentleman, ca. 1830, watercolor on ivory, sight 2 ¹⁄₄ x 1 ⁷⁄₈ in. (5.7 x 4.8 cm) oval, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Bernard N. Burnstine, 1946.1.1

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Artwork Details

Title: Portrait of a Gentleman
Artist: George Catlin
Date: ca. 1830
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: sight 2 ¹⁄₄ x 1 ⁷⁄₈ in. (5.7 x 4.8 cm) oval
Credit Line: Gift of Bernard N. Burnstine
Mediums: watercolor
Mediums Description: watercolor on ivory
Classifications: Painting
Miniature
Subjects: Portrait male — unidentified — bust
Object Number: 1946.1.1
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1946.1.1

Artwork Description

This miniature has been identified variously as a portrait of Stephen Fuller Austin, the pioneering Texan, or his brother James Brown Austin. Although the man’s features bear a resemblance to the Austins, there is no evidence that Catlin ever met the Texans, and as of this writing, it is not clear who this man is.