(American, 1823-1894)

Portrait of Confederate Brigadier General Archibald Gracie III (1832-1864), oil on canvas, 37-1/2 x 30 in; impressive period frame by William Schaus of New York, 49 x 41 x 4 in.

Provenance: Archibald Gracie IV (1858-1912), NY;(Bequeathed to widow of above) Constance Elise (Schack) Gracie; (gift from the above in 1937) Virginia Historical Society; Deaccessioned from the above

Literature:

Portraiture in the Virginia Historical Society, by Alexander Weddell, 1945, pp. 40-42;

Portraits in the Collection of the Virginia Historical Society, by Virginius Hall, Jr, 1981, p. 101

Gracie was a notable Confederate general, and a close friend of Robert E. Lee. Born into a wealthy New York family - his grandfather Archibald Gracie I, built Gracie Mansion which is the current official residence of the Mayor of New York City. As a young man he attended West Point when Robert E. Lee was the school's superintendent. The two would meet early on at West Point when Gracie caused a fight on campus and reported to Lee's office. Following his graduation in 1854, Gracie was sent to serve in the Washington Territory. He resigned in 1856 to join his father's cotton export and brokerage firm in Mobile, Alabama. He would come to Virginia at the start of the Civil War as captain of the Washington Light Infantry Company of Mobile. He would rise to the rank of brigadier general. He was killed in Petersburg on December 2, 1864.