English: Jay Gould

Artist

   Eastman Johnson, 29 Jul 1824 - 5 Apr 1906

Sitter

   Jay Gould, 27 May 1836 - 2 Dec 1892

Date

   1896

Type

   Painting

Medium

   Oil on canvas

Dimensions

   Stretcher: 153.7 x 102.6cm (60 1/2 x 40 3/8")
   Frame: 198.1 x 149.9 x 17.8cm (78 x 59 x 7")

Credit Line

   Current Owner: Grey Art Gallery, New York University
   Website: www.nyu.edu/greyart/

Object number

   L/NPG.4.77

Exhibition Label

   Born Roxbury, New York
   Jay Gould had one of the most turbulent, controversial, and significant business careers in the nineteenth century. Largely self-taught, incredibly strong-willed and intelligent, Gould made his first fortune with his masterful understanding of finance during the Civil War. Postwar, he came to public attention in his protracted financial “war” against Cornelius Vanderbilt over the Erie Railroad. Gould’s dizzying financial maneuvering and his attempt to corner the market in gold cemented his reputation as a predatory capitalist or robber baron. But Gould’s talents and achievements were greater than this caricature. During the second half of his career, he established himself as an innovative and creative businessman, reviving the moribund Union Pacific Railroad and turning it into an efficient and profitable transportation system. Ruthless but never a mere speculator, Gould’s wide-ranging influence on business, from the financial markets to modern management techniques, helped shape the modern American economy.

Data Source

   Catalog of American Portraits

See more items in

   Catalog of American Portraits 

Exhibition

   American Origins 

On View

NPG, East Gallery 123