Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 7

American Folk Art Portrait of Marc Isambard Brunel British Inventor Engineer

About the Item

Early 19th century American portrait of Marc Isambard Brunel. Brunel was a well known British inventor and engineer. He is credited with engineering the Thames Tunnel. You can see the tunnel and some of his inventions displayed in the painting. Painted circa 1840. Oil on canvas. Signed lower right. Framed. After Samuel Drummond's 1836 portrait of Brunel at the National Portrait Gallery London. Sir Marc Isambard Brunel, (born April 25, 1769, Hacqueville, France—died December 12, 1849, London, England), French-émigré engineer and inventor who solved the historic problem of underwater tunneling. In 1793, after six years in the French navy, Brunel returned to France, which was then in the midst of revolution. Within a few months his royalist sympathies compelled him to leave. He fled to the United States, where he held the post of chief engineer of New York City. He built many buildings, improved the defenses of the channel between Staten Island and Long Island, and constructed an arsenal and a cannon foundry. A design of his won the competition for the new Capitol to be built in Washington, D.C., but another design was used because of economic considerations. Brunel perfected a method for making ships’ blocks (pulleys) by mechanical means rather than by hand, and he sailed to England in 1799 to lay his plans before the British government. His plans were accepted, and he was placed in charge of installing his machines at Portsmouth dockyard. When completed, the system of 43 machines—run by 10 men—produced more blocks than 100 men could by hand, and the quality of these blocks was higher and more consistent. Production was much higher. The Portsmouth installation was one of the earliest examples of completely mechanized production.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 45 in (114.3 cm)Width: 32 in (81.28 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    circa 1840
  • Condition:
    Additions or alterations made to the original: The painting has been lined. There is some waviness to the canvas. Under ultraviolet light it shows only a small spot of overpaint on the chair arm. Overall it is in good original condition. Wear consistent with age and use. The painting has been lined. There is some waviness to the canvas. Under ultraviolet light it shows only a small spot of overpaint on the chair arm. Overall it is in good original condition.
  • Seller Location:
    Rochester, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1585238035772
More From This SellerView All
  • Impressionist Portrait Painting of Circus Clown, 1950
    Located in Rochester, NY
    Bold portrait of an introspective circus clown. Rich colors. Detailed circus background. Oil on masonite. Signed Klotz. Dated 1950. Unframed.
    Category

    Mid-20th Century American Paintings

    Materials

    Paint

  • Impressionist Portrait Painting of a Bohemian Woman Budapest, 1925
    Located in Rochester, NY
    Bohemian woman Budapest, Hungary 1925 by Bertha De Hellebranth. Fabulous period painting brings to life the bohemian intelligentsia of Europe in the 1920's. I believe the painting is of the artists sister Elena Maria De Hellebranth. Both sisters were accomplished artist and worked and exhibited together. See the photo of the sisters Elena on the left and Bertha on the right. Oil on canvas. In a period frame. Signed lower right. Inscribed on reverse. Provenance: label from Newman Galleries Philadelphia. BIOGRAPHY ; Bertha de Hellebranth and her sister Elena were born into a cultured upper-class family in Budapest, Bertha in 1899, Elena in 1897. Their father was a lawyer and their mother a student of Franz Liszt's last living pupil. Both sisters showed artistic potential early, beginning to paint at four or five years of age. Their parents encouraged them, and had the means to send them to the best art schools of the time. They studied at the Academy of Fine Art in Budapest, at the Académie Julian and the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris, and painted portraits of European nobility. As Patricia Fazekas points out, "Growing up in a family of privilege, they seemed to have unusual access to many illustrious people." So we should not be surprised to find among their subjects members of high society, such as Count Andrássy Gyula, the Russian-born Princess Baby Galitzine, and Admiral Horthy Miklós, the Regent. Later on, their subjects included American heiress Gladys Vanderbilt (Countess László Széchenyi), President Theodore Roosevelt's granddaughter Paulina Longworth and former President Dwight D. Eisenhower.Often, the sisters would paint the same subject at the same time, offering the sitter a choice of portraits. Most often, the sitter wanted both renditions.While Elena concentrated on working in oil and watercolor, Bertha used gouache and oil to achieve her effects. Elena gave lectures and workshops, was a writer and also wrote popular and ecclesiastical music, while Bertha also went in for sculpture and handicrafts.From the mid-thirties until World War II, Bertha and Elena divided their time between their home in Budapest and a home on the ocean at Ventnor, NJ. In 1925, they showed their work at the Nemzeti Szalon in Budapest, and in 1926, they had a joint exhibition of their portraits in the US. Both exhibited their work at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and most major museums and galleries in the US. Bertha also had exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Both Bertha and Elena were Fellows of the Royal Society of Art (London), and garnered numerous prizes. Bertha was awarded First Prize by the National Academy of the American Water Color Society one year, and the Grand Prize of the Audubon Society. She was one of the founders of the now defunct World League of Hungarian Artists Abroad (Külföldi Magyar Képz?m?vészek Világszövetsége), and received a Gold Medal from the Cleveland Árpád Akadémia in 1963. (Elena also received the Akadémia's gold medal in 1965.) Their work is found in museums and galleries too numerous to mention.The de Hellebranth sisters were devout Catholics, and this is evident in their many portraits of clerics...
    Category

    Early 20th Century Paintings

    Materials

    Paint

  • Impressionist Portrait Painting of a Bohemian Woman Budapest 1925
    Located in Rochester, NY
    Bohemian woman Budapest, Hungary 1925 by Bertha De Hellebranth. Fabulous period painting brings to life the bohemian intelligentsia of Europe in the 1920's. I believe the painting is of the artists sister Elena Maria De Hellebranth. Both sisters were accomplished artist and worked and exhibited together. See the photo of the sisters Elena on the left and Bertha on the right. Oil on canvas. In a period frame. Signed lower right. Inscribed on reverse. Provenance: label from Newman Galleries Philadelphia. BIOGRAPHY ; Bertha de Hellebranth and her sister Elena were born into a cultured upper-class family in Budapest, Bertha in 1899, Elena in 1897. Their father was a lawyer and their mother a student of Franz Liszt's last living pupil. Both sisters showed artistic potential early, beginning to paint at four or five years of age. Their parents encouraged them, and had the means to send them to the best art schools of the time. They studied at the Academy of Fine Art in Budapest, at the Académie Julian and the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris, and painted portraits of European nobility. As Patricia Fazekas points out, "Growing up in a family of privilege, they seemed to have unusual access to many illustrious people." So we should not be surprised to find among their subjects members of high society, such as Count Andrássy Gyula, the Russian-born Princess Baby Galitzine, and Admiral Horthy Miklós, the Regent. Later on, their subjects included American heiress Gladys Vanderbilt (Countess László Széchenyi), President Theodore Roosevelt's granddaughter Paulina Longworth and former President Dwight D. Eisenhower.Often, the sisters would paint the same subject at the same time, offering the sitter a choice of portraits. Most often, the sitter wanted both renditions.While Elena concentrated on working in oil and watercolor, Bertha used gouache and oil to achieve her effects. Elena gave lectures and workshops, was a writer and also wrote popular and ecclesiastical music, while Bertha also went in for sculpture and handicrafts.From the mid-thirties until World War II, Bertha and Elena divided their time between their home in Budapest and a home on the ocean at Ventnor, NJ. In 1925, they showed their work at the Nemzeti Szalon in Budapest, and in 1926, they had a joint exhibition of their portraits in the US. Both exhibited their work at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and most major museums and galleries in the US. Bertha also had exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Both Bertha and Elena were Fellows of the Royal Society of Art (London), and garnered numerous prizes. Bertha was awarded First Prize by the National Academy of the American Water Color Society one year, and the Grand Prize of the Audubon Society. She was one of the founders of the now defunct World League of Hungarian Artists Abroad (Külföldi Magyar Képz?m?vészek Világszövetsége), and received a Gold Medal from the Cleveland Árpád Akadémia in 1963. (Elena also received the Akadémia's gold medal in 1965.) Their work is found in museums and galleries too numerous to mention.The de Hellebranth sisters were devout Catholics, and this is evident in their many portraits of clerics...
    Category

    Early 20th Century Paintings

    Materials

    Gesso, Fabric, Canvas, Wood, Paint

  • Portrait of a Venetian Woman by Felice Castegnaro '1872-1958' Italian
    Located in Rochester, NY
    Painting of a beautiful Venetian woman by Felice Castegnaro. Watercolor. Well framed in carved gilt and ebonized frame. Late 19th Century. Presented by Joseph Dasta Antiques. Castegnaro was born in Montebello Vicentino on 17 May 1872, he began his studies at the Olympic Academy of Vicenza and then settled in Venice where, under the guidance of Ettore Tito, he attended the Academy of Venice. He preferred the painting of lagoon subjects, but he also painted landscapes, portraits and figure paintings. His paintings narrate scenes of everyday life with an impressionist vein. He participated in numerous official events such as the Venice Biennials, Milan, Rome etc. He loved to portray the natural lights of the landscape using a very bright chromatic range and quick and safe brushstrokes. He died in his hometown in 1958. # italy rome roman florence figure portrait woman lady...
    Category

    Antique 19th Century Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Paint, Paper

  • Vintage Portrait Painting of Jean Harlow Dated 1938 Hollywood Regency
    Located in Rochester, NY
    Vintage portrait of Jean Harlow. Oil on board. Dated 1938. The best of Hollywood Regency . Faint illegible signature lower right. Harlow died in in 1937. This was painted the followi...
    Category

    Mid-20th Century American Hollywood Regency Paintings

    Materials

    Paint

  • Portrait of a Venetian Woman by Felice Castegnaro '1872-1958' Italian
    Located in Rochester, NY
    Painting of a beautiful Venetian woman by Felice Castegnaro. Watercolor. Well framed in carved gilt and ebonized frame. Late 19th Century. Presented by ...
    Category

    Antique 19th Century Italian Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Paint, Paper

You May Also Like
  • 19th Century American Folk Art Pair of Male and Female Portraits
    Located in New York, NY
    Pair of American Folk Art (19th Century) mahogany and birdseye maple framed oil painting portraits of man with paper and lady with book (signed).  
    Category

    Antique 19th Century American Folk Art Paintings

    Materials

    Maple, Paper

  • Folk Art Portrait Miniature by Patrick Wybrant American Circa 1854
    By Patrick Wybrant
    Located in Hudson, NY
    Watercolor on paper, young boy in a dress by Patrick Wybrant, circa 1850s. Purportedly a child of a prominent Boston Family. Provenance: Property from the Collection of Maggie Cohen, New York City Overall: 8-1/2"h x 7-1/2"w Sight: 5-1/2"h x 4-1/2"w This item can be viewed in person at The Berkshire Galleries in Great Barrington Massachusetts. Patrick Wybrant was born in Rathdrum, County Wicklow in 1816. He painted in Great Britain from 1849 to 1852, spent approximately three years in the United States. During that time he painted watercolor portraits for prominent Massachusetts families. Wyrat returned to work in Yorkshire around 1855-1856. He may have continued to work until his death, in Knaresborough, West Riding...
    Category

    Antique 1850s American Folk Art Paintings

    Materials

    Paint

  • Superb Ammi Phillips American Folk Art Portrait Painting, circa 1840
    By Ammi Phillips
    Located in Vero Beach, FL
    Superb Ammi Phillips American Folk Art Portrait painting, circa 1840 We are proud of our acquisition of this authentic masterpiece by Ammi Phillips (1788-1865). The finely rendered portrait depicts an attractive young girl in a delightful lifelike quality. The pretty face is a refreshing change from the stern expressions of most of the paintings showing mature female or male sitters. Phillips palette is dark with a strikingly dramatic use of light to her face. The painting, on its original stretchers, is in untouched condition. The frame is period. This painting is unsigned, as are most of his works, but bares the unmistakable characteristics of a Phillips painting. Portrait of a young girl holding a book and wearing a golden whistle. From the New England estate of the renowned Folk Art Collector and scholar, John Bauer...
    Category

    Antique 19th Century American Folk Art Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas

  • British School, 'Portrait of a Young Lady'
    Located in Reepham, GB
    A half-length portrait of a young lady, her costume à la Turque and wearing a double strand of large and lustrous pearls. She is deep in somewhat pensive thought, her right hand resting lightly against her chin, her left hand gently clasping the neck of a pottery flask...
    Category

    Early 20th Century European Late Victorian Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Giltwood, Paint

  • American Classical Portrait of a Lady
    Located in West Palm Beach, FL
    American classical portrait of a lady. American School, unsigned. Measures: Oil on canvas 25"x 30" Period gilt frame 29" x 34" x 2" Professional...
    Category

    Antique 1820s American American Classical Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Giltwood

  • Fantastic 19th Century American Pair of Folk Art Still Life Paintings
    Located in Wiscasset, ME
    Each panel measures approximately 18" x 18". Very rare to see a pair of this quality. They have a great folk art appeal with watermelons, peaches, grapes, etc. Dating to the first ha...
    Category

    Antique Mid-19th Century American Folk Art Paintings

    Materials

    Wood, Paint

Recently Viewed

View All