Thomas Sully (1783-1872)

Sully painted portraits of Jefferson, Monroe, Swift, and Williams that were saved in the library fire of 1838 (The best description of this is by his son Alfred Sully, USMA 1841). Do all of these survive today? Where are they located? That of Williams is in the West Point Room on the fourth floor of the library.

One portrait by Thomas Sully, "Portrait of Lieutenant [Jean Tetford] David [1792-1838]," who is not a USMA grad, is in the Cleveland Museum of Art (16.1979).

Manuscripts:

Papers, 1828-1833. USMA SPEC Mss. 5 items. Summary:  Painter. Letters from engineering officers in reply to Colonel Gratiot's circular suggesting that all Army Corps of Engineers subscribe to a fund to commission Sully to paint portraits of former Chiefs of Engineers; letter, 24 Jan. 1830, from Sylvanus Thayer to Sully, commissioning a portrait of Charles Gratiot on behalf of the Army Corps of Engineers; signed receipt of 500 payment for two portraits; signed receipt for 100 in payment for the portrait of Charles Gratiot; list of officers subscribing to the portrait fund.

Obituaries: