Junius Brutus Booth

Robert Matthew Sully's portrait of Junius Brutus Booth from 1829-30 depicts one of the most celebrated actors of the early nineteenth-century American stage, an English-born tragedian who emigrated to America in 1821 and became famous for his interpretations of Shakespeare's tragic heroes — Richard III, King Lear, Hamlet. Booth was known for his intense, unconventional style that could veer into unpredictable genius or apparent madness, and his American career made him a cultural phenomenon. Sully, a Virginia-born painter trained in England, was among the leading portraitists of the American South and Mid-Atlantic states, his work following the manner of Sir Thomas Lawrence. The portrait captures Booth's theatrical intensity within the refined conventions of British-influenced American portraiture.

The portrait captures the actor's dramatic presence through intense expression and theatrical costume. The handling shows competent portrait technique with attention to the dramatic lighting appropriate to a theatrical subject.