Image: Jay Gould by Eastman Johnson

Description: Jay Gould Artist Eastman Johnson, 29 Jul 1824 - 5 Apr 1906 Sitter Jay Gould, 27 May 1836 - 2 Dec 1892 Date 1896 Type Painting Medium Oil on canvas Dimensions Stretcher: 153.7 x 102.6cm (60 1/2 x 40 3/8") Frame: 198.1 x 149.9 x 17.8cm (78 x 59 x 7") Credit Line Current Owner: Grey Art Gallery, New York University Website: www.nyu.edu/greyart/ Object number L/NPG.4.77 Exhibition Label Born Roxbury, New York Jay Gould had one of the most turbulent, controversial, and significant business careers in the nineteenth century. Largely self-taught, incredibly strong-willed and intelligent, Gould made his first fortune with his masterful understanding of finance during the Civil War. Postwar, he came to public attention in his protracted financial “war” against Cornelius Vanderbilt over the Erie Railroad. Gould’s dizzying financial maneuvering and his attempt to corner the market in gold cemented his reputation as a predatory capitalist or robber baron. But Gould’s talents and achievements were greater than this caricature. During the second half of his career, he established himself as an innovative and creative businessman, reviving the moribund Union Pacific Railroad and turning it into an efficient and profitable transportation system. Ruthless but never a mere speculator, Gould’s wide-ranging influence on business, from the financial markets to modern management techniques, helped shape the modern American economy. Data Source Catalog of American Portraits See more items in Catalog of American Portraits Exhibition American Origins On View NPG, East Gallery 123
Title: Jay Gould by Eastman Johnson
Credit: Catalog of American Portraits
Author: Eastman Johnson, 29 Jul 1824 - 5 Apr 1906
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No