William Wilson Corcoran c. 1880s

This is Joseph Pennell’s ink on paper portrait of William Wilson Corcoran. Pennell was a master of depicting architecture and urban scenes, but here he turns his attention to a man of great social standing in Washington D.C.. Corcoran, a wealthy banker and philanthropist, founded the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1869, now part of the National Gallery. But his legacy is complicated. As a Southern sympathizer during the Civil War, Corcoran’s views reflected the deep divisions within American society at the time. His wealth was in part built on industries that profited from enslaved labor. Pennell’s portrait captures Corcoran in a moment of reflection or perhaps guardedness. The somewhat harsh lines of the printmaking medium lend a sense of formality, befitting a man of his stature, yet there’s also a vulnerability in his eyes. The image prompts us to consider the complexities of historical figures. It invites us to reflect on how we reconcile their contributions with the problematic aspects of their lives and the historical context in which they lived.