William Hayes Fogg (1817-1884) 1887

Curator: This is Eastman Johnson’s portrait of William Hayes Fogg, though the exact date of its creation remains unknown. It's currently housed at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: He seems like a man of industry, and the scale of the painting lends itself to that impression. I’m drawn to how the light catches the fabric of his coat. Curator: Indeed. Johnson captures Fogg’s status within society; consider how portraiture functioned as a tool to legitimize the sitter’s place in the public sphere. Editor: And that dark coat signals wealth in its materiality. The subtle sheen tells a story of careful tailoring, a testament to skilled labor and expensive textiles. Curator: It speaks to the larger narrative of wealth creation and its visual representation. Editor: It is definitely fascinating to consider all that is embedded within such a traditional medium.