Artist/Maker
John Vanderlyn
(American, 1775 – 1852)
Eugene Aaron Vail (ca. 1792-1843)
ca. 1830
Oil on canvas
Overall: 29 x 23 1/2 in. ( 73.7 x 59.7 cm )
Bequest of Jacques de Bon
1968.36
The subject was born in Lorient, France, where his father, a New York merchant, was U.S. consul and commercial agent. He came to the U.S. in 1816, became a clerk in the Treasury Dept., and transferred later to the State Dept. After 1833 he moved with his wife and family to New York and about a year later returned to Paris to live there permanently. In addition to being an amateur miniaturist, he wrote books in French and English. His portrait was a gift to the Society from his grandson.
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