Portrait of a Man

American 19th Century

National Gallery of Art

This grayscale photograph features a seated man, shown from the knees up. His body is slightly turned to the right, but he looks out at us, one arm resting on his lap and the other propped against a small round table on the right. The man has dark skin, faint eyebrows, high cheekbones, a faint mustache, lips set in a neutral expression, and short, dark hair under a tall white top hat with a thick gray band around the center. He is dressed in a formal black suit with a white, high-collared shirt, a black bow tie, and a dark jacket with a velvet collar. He appears to have a ring on one finger. The background behind him is light gray. The photograph is bordered by an ornate golden frame.