Joseph Henry Bush (c. 1794-1865)
1848
Oil on canvas
| General Zachary Taylor Joseph Henry Bush (c. 1794-1865) 1848 Oil on canvas |
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| A native and resident of
Kentucky, Joseph Henry Bush spent winters in Louisiana
and Mississippi painting portraits of planters,
merchants, and their families. When he was still a youth,
he left for Philadelphia to apprentice with the famed
portraitist Thomas Sully. The Kentucky statesman Henry
Clay financed the young artist’s trip as well as
three years of study. Along with Matthew Harris Jouet and
William Edward West, Bush became a prominent Kentucky
artist who left behind a significant group of portraits
in Louisiana. In 1848 Bush was commissioned to render the likeness of General Zachary Taylor at his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This artwork depicts the uniformed Taylor as the popular military hero. The mountainous landscape alludes to his command during the Mexican War. |