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Look from his steady gaze down to the hand holding the brushes, then find the signature and date at the lower right.
Shirlaw shows himself at work, brushes in hand and palette before him, turning to meet our eyes. He signed the canvas and dated it 1878. Born in Scotland, he trained at the Royal Academy in Munich, where he painted Toning the Bell. Joseph M. Rogers gave this portrait to the Art Institute.
Oil on canvas · 70.2 × 53.4 cm · Art Institute of Chicago
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Details and source
- Museum title
- Self-Portrait
- Artist
- Walter Shirlaw (American, 1838–1909)
- Date
- 1878
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 70.2 × 53.4 cm (27 5/8 × 21 in.)
- Credit line
- Gift of Joseph M. Rogers
- Image license
- CC0 1.0 · Public domain
- Museum record
- Art Institute of Chicago
Artist’s life 1838–1909
View in the AtlasGaller’s rooms and hanging scale are imagined. The image is the museum’s original digital reproduction.