Theatrical Portraits The majority of Sully’s portrait clients were merchants, ministers, bankers, doctors, military figures, and naturally, socialites—with a few…
Thomas Sully: Jumping into a Portrait
The Fancy or Subject Portraits Thomas Sully kept meticulously detailed records that provide an in-depth understanding of the life of…
Thomas Sully: Getting to Know You
The Fancy or Subject Portraits Thomas Sully kept meticulously detailed records that provide an in-depth understanding of the life of…
Thomas Sully: Compare and Contrast
Make connections to contemporary works within the Museum’s Collection. Visit Gallery 20, where you will find works identified as New…
Thomas Sully: Historical Connections
Study the relationships between the human forms in the Sully exhibition and the natural worlds in the landscapes from the…
Thomas Sully: Backdrop Design
Collect reproductions of your favorite band or team, and then cut out the individuals and arrange them so that they…
Thomas Sully: Backdrop Building
Create your own architectural setting for George Frederick Cooke in the Role of Richard III (1811–12). Have students research similar…
Thomas Sully: Literature Connection
Look through picture books or read chapters from the books featured in portraits in the exhibition (e.g., Cinderella, Little Red…
Thomas Sully: The Great Debate
Historians continue to debate the merits of the decisions and actions taken by President Andrew Jackson during his two terms…
Thomas Sully: Glossary
Aesthetic: A philosophy, study, or conception of what is artistically beautiful and as such enlivens the senses. Allegory: A representation…
Symbolic Portraiture
Artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and David Hammons use abstract images or found objects (instead of realistic images) to make…
Quotables: Respond and React
After viewing the exhibition with your students, use the quotes below by artists represented in 30 Americans as primary sources…