Portrait of Bartholomew Dandridge (1773/4-1802)

Date1800-1802

Attributed to John Trumbull (1756-1843)

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsUnframed: 29 7/8 x 24 5/8in. (75.9 x 62.5cm) and Framed: 37 3/4 x 32 1/2 x 2 1/2in. (95.9 x 82.6 x 6.4cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1973-198

DescriptionA half-length portrait of a young man. His hands are not shown. The figure is positioned somewhat to the right of center on the canvas, his head three-quarters to the left, his head and eyes turned slightly upward. He is bald on the top of his head, his dark hair forming short sideburns. He wears a dark brown, double-breasted coat, white shirt, and white neckcloth. The background is a light brown.

The 4 1/4-inch gilded frame is a period replacement composed of a flat section with, to the outside, a row of beading at the base of a cyma recta molding with a gadrooned outer edge. The inner lip is molded. This frame was purchased from J. H. Guttmann, NY, NY, in 1973.Label TextBartholomew Dandridge grew up in Virginia, first in New Kent County and then in Williamsburg, where his father owned a dwelling on Waller Street. Young Dandridge was a nephew of Martha Washington. The close relationship undoubtedly helped recommend him for the job of private secretary to George Washington, a position he held from 1791 to 1797.

Dandridge traveled to London in 1797 to serve as secretary to Rufus King, minister plenipotentiary to Great Britain. In London he sat for this portrait, one of two similar depictions executed by his fellow countryman John Trumbull. By placing his handsome subject off center, with head and eyes turned upward, Trumbull introduced a mood of romantic abstraction, as though Dandridge were preoccupied with elevated thoughts. Although Trumbull is best known today as a history painter, over the course of his long life, he also performed ably as a teacher, architect, cartographer, soldier, and diplomat.

Dandridge was the American consul at Santo Domingo when he contracted yellow fever and died there, unmarried, in 1802.
Inscription(s)The back of the top stretcher of this portrait is inscribed in ink (or graphite?) "1941-807" i.e., Yale's accession number (see "Provenance").
The back of the top frame member bears a patch of red paint, over which was painted in black paint "K 417" (probably a Guttman inventory number; see "Description").ProvenanceBequeathed in 1941 toYale University by Gherardi Davis of New York, NY, Yale acc. no. 1941.807; deaccessioned from Yale and acquired by CWF in 1973 through dealer Robert P. Weimann. No earlier history has been recorded as of 10/7/2004.