Roger Sherman (1721–1793, M.A. [Hon.] 1768)

Artist: Ralph Earl (American, 1751–1801)

ca. 1775

American Paintings and Sculpture

Connecticut statesman Roger Sherman here faces down the curious gaze of posterity with an uncompromising stare. Founding Father John Adams called him "one of the soundest and strongest pillars of the Revolution even if his air is the reverse of grace." A passionate patriot, Sherman was the only man to sign all four of the early nation’s key governmental documents: the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Association, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. Sitting in a Windsor armchair, wearing a simple muslin cravat and an old-fashioned homespun suit, his awkward pose and plain clothing signal his unambiguous rejection of continental elegance and, by extension, European values.

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

64 5/8 × 49 5/8 in. (164.1 × 126 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Roger Sherman White, B.A. 1859, LL.B. 1862

Accession Number

1918.3

Culture
Period

18th century

Classification
Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance

Provenance

Roger Sherman (1721–1793), New Haven, Conn.; by descent to Roger Sherman White (1837–1924), New Haven, Conn.; given to the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn., 1918
Bibliography
  • American Art: Selections from the Yale University Art Gallery (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 2023), 74–75, no. 21, ill.
  • Arthur S. Lefkowitz, Eyewitness Images from the American Revolution (Gretna: Pelican Publishing Company, 2017), 51, ill.
  • Mark David Hall, Roger Sherman and the Creation of the American Republic (New York: Oxford University Press, 2013), n.p., cover ill., ill.
  • Helen A. Cooper et al., Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: American Art from the Yale University Art Gallery, exh. cat. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 2008), 2, 64, 107, no. 49, ill.
Object copyright
Additional information

Object/Work type

human figures (visual works), portraits

Subject

chairs

Technical metadata and APIs

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