Charles Nagel

Charles Nagel was an American lawyer and politician — he later served as Secretary of Commerce and Labor under President Taft — and Zorn's 1901 portrait captures him during his ascent in public life. Now in the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, this commission places Zorn within the established tradition of portrait painting as historical documentation. American public figures of the period actively sought European artists for official portraits, seeing Zorn's continental reputation as an index of their own cultural standing. Zorn's ability to convey authority without stiffness made him particularly suited to this kind of high-profile political commission.

Official portraits of public figures required Zorn to balance informality of handling against the formal requirements of the genre — the sitter must project authority, but the paint surface should retain the lively quality that distinguished Zorn from more pedestrian portraitists. The formal pose is animated by Zorn's characteristic lighting and confident mark-making.