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Essays

Sully, Thomas

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Martha Wade Young (also known as Mrs. Benjamin Young)

Artwork Facts

Thomas Sully

1783-1872
Martha Wade Young (also known as Mrs. Benjamin Young)
1835
oil on canvas
30 x 25 inches
initialed on reverse
Gift of Mr. Jo Conn Guild, Jr. in memory of May Young Guild
1969.19
Mansion: Early American Portraits (Gallery 5)

Analysis

After studying in London, Thomas Sully adopted the decorative romantic style of England's leading portraitist Sir Thomas Lawrence. Here he portrays Mrs. Young, the wife of a prominent Mississippian. The soft lighting, her tilted head, and her genteel gestures display his sophisticated style.