Ralph Earl's Portrait of Elijah Boardman

Elizabeth Mankin Kornhauser, Curator, The American Wing

In Ralph Earl's astonishing life-size portrait of a young Connecticut shopkeeper, the handsome Elijah Boardman seductively gazes directly at viewers as he seems to step out of the painting directly into their space. Dressed in the latest fashion and standing at his counting desk, Boardman invites his audience to purchase fabric from his inventory of stylish textiles so that they might look like him. Learn how Earl devised an innovative, seemingly modern style of portraiture in the post-Revolutionary era that was suited for the new hopes and values of the citizens of the young Republic.

This talk is part of the Met Salon Series. Refreshments served.