Henry James
Social Media Share Tools
Object Details
- Artist
- Jacques-Emile Blanche, 1861 - 1942
- Sitter
- Henry James, 15 Apr 1843 - 28 Feb 1916
- Exhibition Label
- Born New York City
- Accustomed to international travel since childhood, the novelist Henry James was more comfortable in Europe than in the United States. In his fiction, James frequently explored the conflicts that arose when the “new” society of the United States encountered the “old” world of aristocratic European manners and mores. Works such as Daisy Miller (1879) and The Portrait of a Lady (1881) chronicle the misunderstandings and misadventures experienced by spirited young women traveling abroad.
- Although James ultimately claimed British citizenship, he retained his sense of identification with the United States. A close friend of the American novelist Edith Wharton, James was visiting her in Paris when he agreed to sit for this portrait by the French painter Jacques-Émile Blanche. Pleased with the final product, which disguised his girth, James declared, “it has a certain dignity of intention and indication of who and what, poor creature, he is!”
- Nacido en la Ciudad de Nueva York
- Acostumbrado desde niño a los viajes internacionales, el novelista Henry James se sentía más cómodo en Europa que en Estados Unidos. En sus escritos de ficción solía explorar los conflictos entre la “nueva” sociedad estadounidense y el “viejo” mundo de formas y costumbres aristocráticas europeas. Obras como Daisy Miller (1879) y Retrato de una dama (1881) relatan los malentendidos y percances de jovencitas vivaces en sus viajes al extranjero.
- Aunque James terminó por hacerse ciudadano británico, siguió sintiéndose identificado con Estados Unidos. Fue amigo íntimo de la novelista estadounidense Edith Wharton y la visitaba en París cuando accedió a posar para este retrato realizado por el pintor francés Jacques-Émile Blanche. Complacido con el resultado, que disimulaba sus volúmenes, James declaró que “tiene una cierta dignidad de intención, e indicios de quién y qué, pobre criatura, es él”.
- Provenance
- The artist; purchased 1920 by Katherine Dexter McCormick [Mrs. Stanley McCormick, 1875-1967]; her bequest, 1968
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; bequest of Mrs. Katharine Dexter McCormick; frame conserved with funds from the Smithsonian Women's Committee
- 1908
- Object number
- NPG.68.13
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Stretcher: 99.7 x 80.6 x 2.5cm (39 1/4 x 31 3/4 x 1")
- Frame: 120.7 x 102.9 x 7.6cm (47 1/2 x 40 1/2 x 3")
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Exhibition
- Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900
- On View
- NPG, East Gallery 135
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Costume\Jewelry\Chain
- Henry James: Male
- Henry James: Literature\Writer\Novelist
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.68.13
- Metadata Usage (text)
- CC0
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm43a65464e-6579-4efc-ad69-77aee00866aa
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.