John Grimes

Artist: Matthew Harris Jouett (American, 1788–1827)

Original Dimensions: 28 1/4" x 21 3/4"

Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

About Artwork: (ca. 1824) "John Grimes (1799–1837), a protégé of Jouett, was probably born in Dayton, Kentucky. He was apprenticed to Thomas Grant and became almost a member of the Lexington tobacco and oil manufacturer's family. He became an itinerant artist, painting portraits as far south as Huntsville, Alabama, and from about 1825 to 1827 he taught drawing in Philadelphia. It is thought that he made the acquaintance of Philadelphia artist Thomas Sully, whose work he copied. After Jouett's death in 1827, Grimes settled in Nashville, Tennessee. He also taught drawing in Louisville. His career was cut short by his early death from tuberculosis. In Jouett's portrait, Grimes appears to be about twenty; it probably was painted in 1824, shortly before Grimes went to Philadelphia. The work combines the influences of the artist's mentors, Gilbert Stuart and Thomas Sully. This portrait was exhibited at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. It was loaned in 1895 to the first exhibition of early American paintings held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and given to the Museum when the exhibition closed." - (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)