William Cullen Bryant

William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878), poet, social reformer, and editor of the New York Evening Post, was a leader in the artistic and cultural life of New York City. This watercolor portrait by the German-born Peter Krammer depicts Bryant at the end of his distinguished life. Affiliated with many New York organizations--including the National Academy of Design, the American Art-Union, and the Sketch Club, a forerunner to the Century Association—Bryant also played an important role in the establishment of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. As a founding trustee, he served as vice president of the Board of Trustees from 1870 to 1874. Bryant’s friendship with landscape painter Thomas Cole was honored by fellow artist Asher B. Durand in his iconic painting, Kindred Spirits (Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art), and Bryant delivered Cole’s funeral oration in 1848. Cole’s painting Landscape–Scene from "Thanatopsis" in The Met’s collection (11.156) was inspired by one of Bryant’s most celebrated poems.