Floor plan

Style galleriesPaintings of the 19th century

Paintings of the 19th century

The image shows an upper-body portrait of a man seated in a formal position. The man is depicted with a slight turn of his head, directly facing the viewer with a composed expression. He has short gray hair that is neatly styled. His facial features include a high forehead and firm jawline. He is dressed in a dark formal jacket with a high-collared white shirt visible at the neckline. His left hand rests on the arm of the chair, which is ornately carved with a scroll design. A fabric with an intricate pattern is draped over the back of the chair. There is no visible jewelry. In the background, there is a muted backdrop with a warm hue. On the left side of the image, a flowing drapery in a rich reddish tone adds depth to the setting.
Untitled (Cracked Watermelon), by Charles Ethan Porter, ca. 1890
Armies of men march and battle along a rocky outcropping set among huge rock formations and massive buildings under a stormy sky in this horizontal landscape painting. The people we can see all have pale skin. Sheets of rain fall from flint-gray clouds on our left into a valley, though hints of peach brighten the clouds along the mountainous horizon there. In the right half of the sky, light pours down from a brilliant white sun that breaks through white clouds to reveal topaz-blue patches of sky. The horizon comes about halfway up the composition and is lined with rugged white, pale pink, and olive-green mountains on our left and silvery-white buildings along the right half. These structures include two domed buildings and a colosseum among many others. The buildings are all enclosed within city walls buttressed with towers. The land dips precipitously from the rocky cliffs supporting the buildings, to sweep down toward us. A huge outcropping angles up like a ramp between us and the buildings in the distance. A road runs from the walled town toward us, down along the ridge and in front of the outcropping. Countless warriors march in rows of four or five across on the road past a man wearing a feathered helmet and armored breastplate. This man, Joshua, stands on a rocky precipice facing away from us with his right hand raised. He wears a scarlet-red toga under his breastplate, and a royal-blue cape flutters at his left side. He holds a round, copper-colored shield and a spear in his other hand. Two men with gray beards stand near Joshua with their backs to us. Both gesture up to the sky. One holds a slender staff and the other a curling horn. They and another pair of men, who stoop to hold poles used to carry a chest, all wear long, ivory-white robes, cherry-red drapery, and white turbans. The column of soldiers on foot and horseback pass in front of Joshua to a massive battlefield to our left. The fight takes place in a valley that leads back to a river. A bolt of lightning zigzags from the storm clouds and strikes a city in the deep distance. The artist signed the painting in the lower right, “J. Martin.”
A work made of oil on panel.
Fan (mounted as a hanging scroll)

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

Paintings made in the 19th century, from every museum.

Section 1, north wall

  1. The image shows an upper-body portrait of a man seated in a formal position. The man is depicted with a slight turn of his head, directly facing the viewer with a composed expression. He has short gray hair that is neatly styled. His facial features include a high forehead and firm jawline. He is dressed in a dark formal jacket with a high-collared white shirt visible at the neckline. His left hand rests on the arm of the chair, which is ornately carved with a scroll design. A fabric with an intricate pattern is draped over the back of the chair. There is no visible jewelry. In the background, there is a muted backdrop with a warm hue. On the left side of the image, a flowing drapery in a rich reddish tone adds depth to the setting.
    Charles Carnan RidgelyThomas Sully, 1820Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. Untitled (Cracked Watermelon), by Charles Ethan Porter, ca. 1890
    Untitled (Cracked Watermelon)Charles Ethan Porter, ca. 1890Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 1, south wall

  1. Armies of men march and battle along a rocky outcropping set among huge rock formations and massive buildings under a stormy sky in this horizontal landscape painting. The people we can see all have pale skin. Sheets of rain fall from flint-gray clouds on our left into a valley, though hints of peach brighten the clouds along the mountainous horizon there. In the right half of the sky, light pours down from a brilliant white sun that breaks through white clouds to reveal topaz-blue patches of sky. The horizon comes about halfway up the composition and is lined with rugged white, pale pink, and olive-green mountains on our left and silvery-white buildings along the right half. These structures include two domed buildings and a colosseum among many others. The buildings are all enclosed within city walls buttressed with towers. The land dips precipitously from the rocky cliffs supporting the buildings, to sweep down toward us. A huge outcropping angles up like a ramp between us and the buildings in the distance. A road runs from the walled town toward us, down along the ridge and in front of the outcropping. Countless warriors march in rows of four or five across on the road past a man wearing a feathered helmet and armored breastplate. This man, Joshua, stands on a rocky precipice facing away from us with his right hand raised. He wears a scarlet-red toga under his breastplate, and a royal-blue cape flutters at his left side. He holds a round, copper-colored shield and a spear in his other hand. Two men with gray beards stand near Joshua with their backs to us. Both gesture up to the sky. One holds a slender staff and the other a curling horn. They and another pair of men, who stoop to hold poles used to carry a chest, all wear long, ivory-white robes, cherry-red drapery, and white turbans. The column of soldiers on foot and horseback pass in front of Joshua to a massive battlefield to our left. The fight takes place in a valley that leads back to a river. A bolt of lightning zigzags from the storm clouds and strikes a city in the deep distance. The artist signed the painting in the lower right, “J. Martin.”
    Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still upon GibeonJohn Martin, 1816Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. A work made of oil on panel.
    SpainFrancisco Domingo y Marqués, 1878Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. Fan (mounted as a hanging scroll)
    Flying CuckooKatsushika Hokusai, ca. 1809Courtesy of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution

Section 2, south wall

  1. Senator Thomas Hart Benton, by Matthew Harris Jouett, 1820s
    Senator Thomas Hart BentonMatthew Harris Jouett, 1820sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Impressionist painting of seated man, girl with brown, black hues.
    Henri Degas and His Niece Lucie Degas (The Artist's Uncle and Cousin)Edgar Degas, 1875–76Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. Spring Blossoms, Montclair, New Jersey, by George Inness, ca. 1891
    Spring Blossoms, Montclair, New JerseyGeorge Inness, ca. 1891Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 2, north wall

  1. A work made of oil on canvas.
    The FestivalSir John Edward Poynter, 1875Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. The painting depicts an equestrian scene with people and horses in a green landscape. There are several people on horseback, and others standing by horses. Some people are also sitting in horse-drawn carriages. The horses are in a variety of colors, and the people wear formal clothing like suit jackets, top hats, vests, or colorful dresses. People fill the middle of the scene and the green hills that rise to the left, while a wide path is marked off on the right, bordered by fences. There are some tall trees around the area, with people gathering below them. In the distance, a large white building with columns and blue roofs can be seen. There is also a white tent partially behind a hill on the left. The sky above is blue and filled with white and gray clouds.
    Heaton Park RacesJohn Ferneley, 1829Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. The Large Tree, by Paul Gauguin, 1891
    The Large TreePaul Gauguin, 1891Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Section 3, north wall

  1. Artist: John Adams Elder, Sitter: Thomas Jonathan Jackson, Current owner: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
    Thomas Jonathan JacksonJohn Adams Elder, 1876Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
  2. The painting depicts a forest floor under tall trees, with a grassy path leading into the distance. The sky is obscured by dense green foliage and tree limbs. Rocks and shrubs are visible on the ground, and the forest stretches into the distance. The trees are dark brown, with patches of white suggesting dappled light coming in through the branches above. The leaves and ground are mostly dark green, with some patches of brown, lighter green, and yellow.
    Forest SceneNarcisse Diaz de la Peña, 1874Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. Ia Orana Maria (Hail Mary), by Paul Gauguin, 1891
    Ia Orana Maria (Hail Mary)Paul Gauguin, 1891Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 3, south wall

  1. Nishnabottana Bluffs, 1070 Miles above St. Louis, by George Catlin, 1832
    Nishnabottana Bluffs, 1070 Miles above St. LouisGeorge Catlin, 1832Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
  2. Woman Meditating, by Jean Baptiste Camille Corot, after 1868
    Woman MeditatingJean Baptiste Camille Corot, after 1868Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art