Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Portrait of J. P. Morgan, Jr. (1867-1943) in a Cambridge Robe

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Frank Owen Salisbury
1874-1962.

Portrait of J. P. Morgan, Jr. (1867-1943) in a Cambridge Robe

1934.
Oil on canvas.
48 5/8 x 39 3/8 inches (1235 x 1000 mm); framed 51 3/4 x 41 3/4 inches (1314 x 1060 mm)
AZ068
Provenance

J.P. Morgan, Jr.

Summary

This portrait depicts J. P. Morgan, Jr., Pierpont Morgan's son and a founder of this institution, wearing the robes of a Doctor of Laws, an honorary degree conferred by Cambridge University in 1919. The degree was a gesture of gratitude to the younger Morgan, who, as head of the firm J.P. Morgan & Co., provided financial support to the Allies during the First World War.

Classification
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Transcription

This portrait depicts Pierpont Morgan's son, JP Morgan, Jr., known as Jack, wearing the robes of a doctor of civil law, an honorary degree conferred on him by Cambridge University in 1919. The degree was a gesture of gratitude to the younger Morgan, who as head of the firm, JP Morgan and Company, orchestrated support for the allies in the First World War. Morgan, proud of the recognition, commissioned this portrait from Salisbury in 1934. Belle da Costa Greene, then director of the Morgan, was not a fan of Morgan's serious expression, which verges on a frown in the portrait.