Description: This portrait shows a young man looking out toward a point beyond the viewer, appearing to be a self-portrait of an artist looking at a mirror.
Historical Note: George Dury immigrated to America from Bavaria after studies in Munich and Italy and had established an art studio in Nashville at 34 Union Street by 1857. He later moved to Spring (now Church) Street and bought a home in Edgefield. Dury painted and taught part-time a the Nashville Female Academy.This portrait was painted prior to his arrival, possibly while a student in Munich. During the Civil War Dury received commissions to paint both Jefferson Davis and P.G.T. Beauregard and after the Federals captured Nashville, Dury painting General William Rosecrans' portrait, making every effort to remain neutral. His brother-in-law, Augustin Gattinger, was pro-Union. After the war, Dury was commissioned to paint life-size portraits of General George Thomas and Governor Brownlow, as well as bust portraits of Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. Dury continued to paint after the war and is buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Nashville.
Institution: Tennessee State Museum
Publisher: Digital Initiatives, James E. Walker Library, Middle Tennessee State University
Rights: Images reproduced on this website are intended for individual, educational use only. For research inquiries about specific objects or requests for high resolution images, contact the Tennessee State Museum.
