Cardinal James Gibbons

Artist: Waring, Leila
Date: 1917

Cardinal Gibbons was born in Baltimore, but spent part of his childhood in Ireland and New Orleans. He entered St. Mary's Seminary and was ordained a priest in 1861. In 1868 he was made a Bishop, serving in North Carolina, Richmond (1872) and then Baltimore. He became Archbishop at age forty-two and was elevated to Cardinal on the twenty-fifth anniversary of his ordination (1886). He was an author, including "The Faith of Our Fathers" (1877) and served as an adviser to Presidents Harding, Cleveland, Roosevelt and Taft.

Waring painted the Cardinal's portrait on commission; it was to be sold for the benefit of the Serbian War Relief Fund. Although painted from life, the portrait lacks the immediacy and intimacy of her other portraits of family members and friends. The dark blue coloring and deep red of the Cardinal's robe also contribute to a somber mood. This miniature is a version of the original.

Notes:

This text is adapted from Martha Severens "The Miniature Portrait Collection of the Carolina Art Association" published by the Carolina Art Association, 1984



  • Medium: Watercolor
  • Support: Ivory
  • Dimensions: 3 1/8 X 2 1/2 Inches
  • Sitter's Dates: 1834-1921
  • Signature: Leila Waring 1917
  • Signature Location: top right
  • Credit: Gift of Mrs. George H. Whipple
  • Period: Revival
  • Accession Number: 1967.031.0002
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