 |
| | The recently restored Governor's Room in City Hall is home to many of the portraits in the collection. Photograph by David Zadeh.
|
A Brief
History
The City Hall portrait collection, an integral and historical
component of the interiors of City Hall, offers a visual history of the people
whose actions and contributions, whether political, military or social, made a
significant impact on the city. This collection includes the portraits of United
States presidents, New York State governors, New York City mayors, foreign
dignitaries, military and naval heroes and political leaders who worked in City
Hall or visited New York City. Both the subjects of these works and the artists
who created them are important figures in the history of New York City as well
as the United States.
This collection, considered one of the outstanding groups of portraits by American artists in the United States, consists of more than 100 paintings by some of the leading late-18th to mid-19th century American artists, such as Charles Wesley Jarvis, John Wesley Jarvis, Samuel F. B. Morse, Rembrandt Peale, John Trumbull and John Vanderlyn. For a collection of its size, the City Hall portraits have an unusual depth in terms of artists represented and types of sitters. In addition, the collection exemplifies the evolution in style of American portrait painting.
The collection includes portraits of people who played key roles in the birth of the new nation and the country’s formative years as well as New York City’s development. Although a few were accepted as gifts, the majority of the paintings in the collection were commissioned by New York City as commemorative acts, as was the case with Andrew Jackson, and were accompanied by elaborate receptions in City Hall to honor the sitters. Most of the portraits were painted from life, although, at times the City wished to honor recently deceased New Yorkers, as was the case with James Kent, and would commission an artist to paint a copy of an existing portrait or compose a portrait based on a number of existing depictions. These pictures, and the stories that surround them, offer a glimpse into the history of New York City.
To view the portrait collection, please make a reservation for a tour of City Hall.
The City Hall Portrait Conservation Initiative
The Design Commission, under Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, began the first phase of a comprehensive long-term initiative to conserve City Hall’s portrait collection and establish an endowment for its long-term care. To begin the portrait conservation, a conservator conducted an in-depth study that outlined the condition of each painting and laid the foundation for a treatment plan. The Design Commission has extensive documentation of the history of these paintings, including the events surrounding their commission and reception as well as their treatment records. The conservator consulted these archives when developing the treatment plan and, together with a historian, prioritized the conservation needs of each portrait based on its condition and historical significance. Fortunately, most of the portraits are in their original frames and are in generally good condition. This ongoing project recognizes the importance of preserving the collection as part of our cultural heritage, allowing for future enjoyment and viewing by the public, as well as for scholarly study.
To support the ongoing conservation of the City Hall Portrait Collection, please contact the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City.
 |
| | Photograph by Glenn Castellano. From the collection
of the Public Design Commission
of the City of New York. |
To the right is a detail of the portrait of James Kent showing three areas marked in white chalk by the conservator to demonstrate various stages of treatment. Shown from left to right: before the current conservation treatment; after the initial cleaning of the top layer of dirt and grime from the surface; and after the removal of resin films and paint layers (added during past treatments), revealing the cracking and lifting of the original paint. The last stages of treatment would include inpainting, applying paint to fill in only areas where the original paint is missing, and the application of a varnish to enhance and protect the surface of the painting.
Adobe Acrobat Reader
