Portrait of Gilbert Butler
Datec. 1840
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsFramed: 45 5/16 × 38 5/16 inches (115.1 × 97.3 cm)
Credit LineGift of Francis D. McNairy.
Object number1996.1
CopyrightThe images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextDevelopments in both fine art and architecture in Savannah in the 19th century intersect in this portrait. The artist, Peter Laurens, was an entrepreneur who turned to portrait painting in the 1830s. He depicted Gilbert Butler (1797–1875) with the tools of his aspirations for craft. A carpenter and builder, Butler points to a set of building plans, his caliper and ruler laid aside as if he has stopped in the middle of his work. In this period in the United States, there were few formal paths to becoming an architect, and “builders,” or contractors, often took on that role. Like most white Savannah artisans, Butler was an enslaver. However, he also may have employed free people of color. For example, the 1850 U.S. census documents Alexander Burke, 15, and James Burke, 17, as Black carpenters living in his household.
