Artwork
Suffer the Little Children
Suffer the Little Children is a gouache drawing by the Romanticist artist Thomas Sully. It dates from 1828 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Thomas Sully’s 1828 work, Suffer the Little Children, is a gouache drawing executed on blue paper. The piece presents the artist’s handling of opaque watercolor on a colored ground, reflecting early nineteenth‑century drawing practices.
Technique & Style
The work employs gouache, a water‑based medium known for its solid, matte finish, applied to a blue substrate that influences the overall tonal balance. Sully’s brushwork reveals a controlled yet expressive approach, typical of his draughtsmanship, allowing subtle modeling of forms against the colored paper.
History & Provenance
Created in 1828, the drawing belongs to Sully’s mature period, when he was active in portraiture and genre scenes. Its provenance traces back to the artist’s studio, though specific ownership records after its creation are limited, suggesting it remained within private collections for much of its early history.
Artist & collection
Artist
Thomas Sully was an English-American portrait painter. He was born in England, became a naturalized American citizen in 1809, and lived most of his life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, including in the Thomas Sully…
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