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Head of a Jew
Washington Allston (1779–1843)
1817
Oil on canvas (30 x 25 in.)
Private collection, courtesy Sotheby’s, Inc. ©2006
As a youth, Gerry was impressed with the work of Boston artist Washington Allston, who at that time was one of the most revered artists in the United States. In fact, Gerry later named his only son after Allston. Although Allston was known mainly for his landscape paintings, Gerry was particularly struck by Allston’s “portrait of the Jew,” which he saw at the Boston Athenaeum around 1830. It was likely one of the first visits Gerry made to an institution that would exhibit so many of his paintings in future years.
