Moses Seymour Jr. (1789): Art, History and Details

Moses Seymour Jr. (1789) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Ralph Earl (American, 1751–1801).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Seen here at the age of 15, Moses Seymour Jr. holds a book and cane, suggesting that he reads and walks in harmony with nature. The portrait was commissioned by his father, a former Revolutionary War major who lived in Litchfield, Connecticut. Artist Ralph Earl was the leading painter in the Connecticut River Valley, returning there after receiving training in London.

Object facts

• Title: Moses Seymour Jr.
• Date: 1789
• Creator attribution: Ralph Earl (American, 1751–1801)
• Culture: United States
• Type: Painting
• Technique: oil on canvas
• Dimensions: Framed: 139.4 x 108.6 x 5.2 cm (54 7/8 x 42 3/4 x 2 1/16 in.); Unframed: 120.7 x 90.2 cm (47 1/2 x 35 1/2 in.)
• Collection: American - Painting
• Department: American Painting and Sculpture
• Accession number: 2003.285

A detail from the museum

This painting descended through the sitter's family until it was given to the museum.

Collection credit

Gift of Mrs. George S. Lockwood Jr. in loving memory of her husband

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.