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Catalog Data

Artist:
Jan Van Beers, 1852 - 1927  Search this
Sitter:
Charles Tyson Yerkes, 25 Jun 1837 - 29 Dec 1905  Search this
Medium:
Oil on wood
Dimensions:
Frame: 54 x 48.3 x 5.7cm (21 1/4 x 19 x 2 1/4")
Type:
Painting
Date:
c. 1893
Exhibition Label:
Born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Through shrewd and often unscrupulous business practices, the financier and entrepreneur Charles Yerkes established streetcar lines in Chicago in the late 1880s and headed the syndicate that built the London Underground at the turn of the century. In 1892, Yerkes contributed some of his fortune to the University of Chicago to build the Yerkes Observatory. It included what was then the world’s largest refracting telescope—one of the principal attractions of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
Yerkes helped underwrite the exposition and served on its fine arts committee. He also loaned several works of art, including twelve paintings by his favorite contemporary artist, the Belgian painter Jan Van Beers. This portrait, a gift from the artist to his faithful patron, was one of the works on display. In 1895, Yerkes erected a lavish mansion in New York City to house his large collection of European paintings and sculptures.
Nacido en Filadelfia, Pensilvania
Mediante prácticas astutas y a menudo inescrupulosas, el financiero y emprendedor Charles Yerkes estableció líneas de tranvía en Chicago a fines de la década de 1880 y dirigió el equipo que construyó el subterráneo de Londres a principios del siglo XX. En 1892 donó parte de su fortuna a la Universidad de Chicago para la construcción del Observatorio Yerkes, hogar del que entonces era el telescopio refractor más grande del mundo. Esta fue una de las atracciones principales de la Exposición Mundial Colombina de 1893 en Chicago.
Yerkes ayudó a financiar la exposición y participó en el comité de bellas artes. También prestó varias obras de arte, incluidas 12 pinturas de su artista contemporáneo favorito, el belga Jan van Beers, entre ellas este retrato, regalo del artista a su fiel mecenas. En 1895 Yerkes construyó una suntuosa mansión en Nueva York para albergar su vasta colección de pinturas y esculturas europeas.
Provenance:
Mrs. Edith R. Rudolphy [Mrs. Jay Besson Rudolphy], Wayne, Pa., granddaughter of sitter; gift 1976 to NPG
Topic:
Printed Material\Book  Search this
Printed Material\Document  Search this
Artwork\Painting  Search this
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Mustache  Search this
Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses\Pince-nez  Search this
Costume\Jewelry\Ring\Wedding Band  Search this
Interior\Domestic\Study  Search this
Charles Tyson Yerkes: Male  Search this
Charles Tyson Yerkes: Business and Finance\Banking and Finance\Financier  Search this
Charles Tyson Yerkes: Society and Social Change\Philanthropist  Search this
Charles Tyson Yerkes: Law and Crime\Criminal\Thief\Embezzler  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Mrs. Jay Besson Rudolphy
Object number:
NPG.76.28
Restrictions & Rights:
CC0
See more items in:
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Exhibition:
Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900
On View:
NPG, East Gallery 131
Data Source:
National Portrait Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4286e138f-2fac-4619-b6c8-8d6a1e0b289d
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_NPG.76.28