Colonel Samuel Boyer Davis 1819

Thomas Sully painted Colonel Samuel Boyer Davis using oil on canvas, a fine art tradition that dates back centuries. The application of paint here is very smooth, almost like enamel. Look closely and you will see that Sully has blended the pigments together to create an almost photographic realism. Yet it’s an illusion, of course, as the overall image is highly romanticized, with Colonel Davis posed heroically in his military attire against a backdrop of what appears to be a naval battle. Davis’s elegant clothing and stance speak of access to wealth and privilege. Consider the labor behind his look: from tailoring the uniform to tanning the leather of his boots. These are just the material aspects of the painting. The Colonel's pose conveys the labor of leadership, in the service of his country. In the end, the painting is a monument to the man and to the labor of many. It invites us to look beyond the surface to consider the lives and hands that have shaped it.