Joseph Gales

Morse's portrait of Joseph Gales, painted on wood in 1821-1822, depicts the editor of the National Intelligencer, Washington's most important newspaper during the early republic. Gales, an English-born journalist, was central to the political culture of the new nation. Morse painted this portrait during his years in Washington, where he was simultaneously pursuing portrait commissions and working on his ambitious House of Representatives painting.

Morse's oil-on-wood technique creates a solid, well-modeled portrait with the warm palette and careful finish of his London training. The journalist's intelligent expression is captured with Morse's characteristic directness and psychological attention.