ticketsMember | Make a donation

Lawrence Barrett

1890
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Actor Edwin Booth commissioned portraits of contemporary luminaries of the American stage, including this one of Lawrence Barrett (1838–1891), for the Players Club in New York. Barrett began performing as a teenager and gradually developed a career as a leading actor. His deliberate and thoughtful acting style gave him a stage presence suited to tragic, complex, and manipulative parts. He was particularly brilliant in the role of Cassius in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. In this portrait, Sargent reveals no evidence of Barrett’s failing health. His piercing, direct gaze and crossed arms suggest his stoic self-confidence.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Lawrence Barrett
  • Artist: John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London)
  • Date: 1890
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 30 × 25 in. (76.2 × 63.5 cm)
  • Credit Line: Private Collection
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing