David Rittenhouse
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Object type: Painting
Date: 1796
Artist: Charles Willson Peale, 15 Apr 1741 - 22 Feb 1827
Sitter: David Rittenhouse, 8 Apr 1732 - 26 Jun 1796
Place: United States/Pennsylvania/Philadelphia/Philadelphia
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: Sight: 124.5 x 100.3 x 2.5cm (49 x 39 1/2 x 1")
Frame: 147.3 x 121.9 x 8.9cm (58 x 48 x 3 1/2")
Credit line: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; bequest of Stanley P. Sax
Topics: Business and Finance
Optical Devices
Books and reading
Robe
Papers
Printed Material
Universities
Design
Clockmaker
Astronomers
University administrator
University trustee
Interior decoration
Portraits
Tradesman
Educators
Mathematician
Science and Technology
Costume
Men
Telescopes
Administrators
Education and Scholarship
Scientists
Banyan
Exhibition Label: Born near Germantown, Pennsylvania
A child prodigy who received no formal education, David Rittenhouse became one of the American colonies’ most respected scientists. He made his living as a clock and instrument-maker but became famous for the astronomical work he is shown pursuing in this portrait. The observations Rittenhouse made during the transit of Venus in 1769 enabled him to measure the distance from Earth to the sun and contributed to international recognition of American scientific achievement.
Rittenhouse turned his engineering expertise to military purposes during the American Revolution, which he strongly supported. As a member of Pennsylvania’s Committee of Safety, he surveyed the location of forts, developed experimental telescopic sights for rifles, and supervised the casting of cannon. After joining Rittenhouse to review defensive measures on the Delaware River, John Adams described him as “a tall, slender Man, plain, soft, modest, no remarkable Depth, or thoughtfullness in his Face—yet cool, attentive, and clear.”
Nacido cerca de Germantown, Pensilvania
David Rittenhouse fue un niño prodigio que, sin educación formal, llegó a ser uno de los científicos más respetados de las colonias americanas. Se ganaba la vida fabricando relojes e instrumentos, pero cobró fama por su trabajo de astronomía, como se ilustra en este retrato. Sus observaciones durante el tránsito de Venus en 1769 le permitieron medir la distancia desde la Tierra hasta el Sol y fomentaron el reconocimiento mundial de los logros científicos norteamericanos.
Rittenhouse aplicó sus conocimientos de ingeniería a fines militares durante la Guerra de Independencia, la cual apoyó con fervor. Como miembro del Comité de Seguridad de Pensilvania, estudió la ubicación de los fuertes, desarrolló mirillas telescópicas experimentales para los rifles y supervisó la fundición de los cañones. Luego de acompañar a Rittenhouse en una inspección de las defensas en el río Delaware, John Adams lo describió como “un Hombre alto, delgado, suave, modesto, sin Profundidad notable ni aire reflexivo en su Rostro, aunque sereno, atento y directo”.
Provenance: Purchased from artist by Edward Savage, 1796-1817; probably purchased with the contents of Savage's Museum by Ethan Allen Greenwood for his New England Museum, Boston, 1818; purchased by Moses Kimball for his Boston Museum, 1839. The Brook Club, New York City, by 1907; purchased by Thomas Sovreign Gates by 1945 for his wife, Emma Barton Waller Gates, a Rittenhouse descendant; her son, James Waller; his estate; (Robert Eldred Auction House, Hyannis, Mass.), March 29, 1986; purchased by (Schwarz Gallery, Philadelphia) for Stanley P. Sax; bequest to NPG 1998.
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