Portraits Around the World

Patrick Lyon was a prominent Philadelphia businessman and inventor who commissioned this painting from his city’s leading portraitist. Following the democratic ideals of the Jacksonian era, which valued straightforward honesty and humble background rather than aristocratic sophistication, Lyon had himself portrayed in his original trade as a blacksmith rather than his new status as a gentleman. With an apprentice behind him in the shadows, Lyon stands confidently at his forge, dressed in leather work apron and rolled up shirt sleeves, dramatically lit by the glow of the orange flames. In the distance looms the steeple of the jail in which he was once held after a group of bankers falsely accused him of theft.

Lyon chose to be shown as the common man who rose above poverty and adversity to achieve success. As scholar Milton W. Brown has summarized, “It is almost as if Longfellow’s ‘Village Blacksmith,’ of whom Pat Lyon was the prototype, were running for public office on the Populist ticket.”

What clues tell you this is a portrait, rather than simply a painting of a blacksmith at work? Consider the size, placement, and poses of the two figures, and the way the artist has used each.

Take some time to compare this with some of the portraits by John Singleton Copley and Gilbert Stuart when you visit the Museum. Consider the means of each artist used to convey to profession, status, and personality of each sitter.

Of Neagle, Copley, and Stuart, which artist would you choose to paint your portrait and why? What would you want the portrait to include, to tell people about you and your life?