Portrait of Emily Warren Roebling
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
A Brooklyn Power Couple
Washington and Emily Roebling, like many eminent Americans, had their likenesses painted by leading French portraitists. Washington, who served as the chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, is depicted seated before a window overlooking the landmark. When he fell ill during construction, Emily assumed all on-site responsibilities and was the first to cross the bridge, in 1883.
Emily Roebling was honored at the bridge’s opening ceremony, and her celebrity later extended beyond Brooklyn. She wore the elaborate dress she wears here at her presentation at court in St. James’s Palace in London and at the crowning of the czar and czarina in Moscow.
Caption
Charles-Émile-Auguste Carolus-Duran French, 1838–1917. Portrait of Emily Warren Roebling, 1896. Oil on canvas, 89 × 47 1/2 in., 214 lb. (226.1 × 120.7 cm, 97.07kg) frame: 103 x 62 x 6 in. (261.6 x 157.5 x 15.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Paul Roebling, 1994.69.1. No known copyright restrictions (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1994.69.1_SL1.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Title
Portrait of Emily Warren Roebling
Date
1896
Geography
Place made: France
Medium
Oil on canvas
Classification
Dimensions
89 × 47 1/2 in., 214 lb. (226.1 × 120.7 cm, 97.07kg) frame: 103 x 62 x 6 in. (261.6 x 157.5 x 15.2 cm)
Signatures
Signed and dated lower left: "Carolus-Duran./Paris 1896."
Credit Line
Gift of Paul Roebling
Accession Number
1994.69.1
Rights
No known copyright restrictions
This work may be in the public domain in the United States. Works created by United States and non-United States nationals published prior to 1923 are in the public domain, subject to the terms of any applicable treaty or agreement. You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this work. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties, such as artists or artists' heirs holding the rights to the work. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act. The Brooklyn Museum makes no representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement governing copyright protection in the United States for works created by foreign nationals. For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
How long does it take to paint a picture like this?
Because of the scale of this work, it would take at least a few days to a week if it was all the artist was working on at the timeIf many sittings were required to complete a detailed undersketch and layers of paint needed to dry in between, it could take up to months! It depends a lot on the specific artists process.If one puts a glass onto a painting, can't mold develop between the two surfaces? Is there a maintainable procedure to keep the paintings in good condition?
I believe our conservators frame the paintings in such a way so as to create a seal so that moisture and humidity do not develop, leading to mold. The glass creates a micro-climate.If you look in some of our objects in glass cases, you'll notice a strip of paper with various colors that the conservators use to monitor the conditions for these cased objects.Is this a queen?
This lady was named Emily Roebling. She was not a queen but guess what! She wore this yellow dress when she went to meet Queen Victoria of England! She was invited to meet the queen because she successfully oversaw the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge.Tell me more.
This is a portrait of Emily Roebling. When her husband fell ill during the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, she assumed all on-site responsibility.She is pictured here in the dress she work to meet Queen Victoria. You'll notice that she is only wearing one glove. this is because when a woman was being present to the Queen at court, you would take her hand in your bare one to kiss it.That's really cool!When was Emily Roebling presented at Court of St. James and in Moscow?
Mrs. Roebling attended the coronation of Tsar Nikolai II in 1894, two years before she met Queen Victoria in London in 1896.She is shown in the portrait with a single glove removed, the way she would have been presented to Queen Victoria.Was this portrait made in France or NY?
This portrait was painted in Paris. Mrs. Roebling visited Carolus-Duran’s studio there on the same trip as when she met with Queen Victoria in London. She had this gown made for the occasion.
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