George Dodd 1852

John Neagle created this oil on canvas portrait of George Dodd sometime in the first half of the 19th century. Neagle was based in Philadelphia and his career coincided with a period when portraiture dominated American art. His success depended on attracting commissions from the city’s elite. Dodd is presented as a model of bourgeois respectability. His dark suit and tie, along with his neatly styled hair and serious gaze are all visual cues of his social standing. Philadelphia at this time was a thriving center for banking and commerce, and paintings like this tell us about the values of its leading citizens. To fully understand this work, one could consult city directories and census records to find out more about Dodd and his place in Philadelphia society. What does the image tell us about how the sitter and the artist wanted to be seen?