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The Young Fisherman

Henry Inman American
ca. 1829
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 774
Born in Utica, New York, Inman began studying art as a child. Although he was a prolific portrait painter, he is also credited as being the first American-born artist to have successfully attempted genre painting. "The Young Fisherman" is his earliest important genre painting, and was made to serve as the basis for an engraving. Relying to some extent on romanticized French images of peasants, Inman focuses on the innocence of childhood as the healthy boy plucks an insect for bait. The youth and promise of the boy are echoed by the lush virgin landscape in the background.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Young Fisherman
  • Artist: Henry Inman (American, Utica, New York 1801–1846 New York)
  • Date: ca. 1829
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Oil on wood
  • Dimensions: 13 1/4 x 9 5/8 in. (33.7 x 24.4 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Samuel P. Avery, 1895
  • Object Number: 95.17.3
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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Fireman's Certificate, with "Protection and Benevolence"
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Mrs. Charles Cummings (Rebecca Pittard), Henry Inman American, Oil on canvas, American
Mrs. Charles Cummings (Rebecca Pittard)
Henry Inman
ca. 1825
Fireman's Certificate, New York City
Multiple artists/makers
February 15, 1851
Mount Vernon with hidden silhouette of George Washington, Henry Inman American, Lithograph
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Multiple artists/makers
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