Portrait of the Artist 1800

This self-portrait by American artist John Vanderlyn was painted in 1800 and is currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Vanderlyn, who was born in 1775, portrays himself as a young man in a fashionable brown coat with a large white cravat. The painting is a classic example of portraiture from the Neoclassical period, which was characterized by its emphasis on balance, clarity, and simplicity. This painting is an important record of Vanderlyn's early artistic development.