Portrait of Genio C. Scott

Download3400 × 2742 px View on a wall Edit

Artist: Eastman Johnson (American, 1824–1906)
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: Unframed: 102.3 x 127 cm (40 1/4 x 50 in.)
Culture: United States
Museum: Cleveland Museum of Art
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

Eastman Johnson portrayed Genio Scott (1806–1879) as a gentleman of means wearing an informal, yet stylish robe in his New York residence. Scott had a successful career as a women’s fashion illustrator and magazine publisher, but his true passion was fly-fishing. Details reveal his attachment to the sport: two fishing poles lean on the wall; three tied flies lie on the table; a fourth is held in his hand, ready to be placed in his leather-bound fishing wallet.

During his lifetime, Scott witnessed the decline of American fish species, a loss largely attributed to the dumping of industrial pollutants into waterways. In his contributions to sporting magazines, he protested this environmental degradation and advocated for measures to revitalize diminishing populations.