Portrait of Thomas Tucker

1790

Ralph Earl American, 1751-1801

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About the Artwork

Thomas Tucker (1744-1820) sits on a silk-upholstered chair writing from a silver inkwell in front of a bookcase -- all signs of his role as a prosperous merchant. Born in New York City, Thomas moved to Connecticut when his family fled the British military occupation of Manhattan during the American Revolution. In Connecticut, he balanced different trades to make a living. The lower shelf of his bookcase holds the waste book, journal, and ledger he used to record business transactions. Advertisements for new students that appeared in the local newspapers indicate he also worked as a teacher.

Ralph Earl painted this portrait of Thomas and a pendant of his wife, Anna Dibble Tucker (1759-1837), in 1790. In the late 1780s and 1790s, Earl traveled around Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont as an itinerant painter. The meticulous detail of his portraits attracted commissions from middle-class merchants, farmers, ministers, and politicians in that region.

Title Portrait of Thomas Tucker

Artwork Date 1790

Artist Ralph Earl

Life Dates 1751-1801

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. American

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. ----------

Medium Oil on canvas

Dimensions Overall: 37 3/4 × 31 3/4 inches (95.9 × 80.6 cm)

Classification Paintings

Department American Art before 1950

Credit Museum Purchase, Gibbs-Williams Fund

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 2024.13

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Provenance

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Provenance is a record of an object's ownership. We are continually researching and updating this information to show a more accurate record and to ensure that this object was ethically and legally obtained.

For more information on provenance, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

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