New York Chamber of Commerce Portrait Collection

The New York Chamber of Commerce portrait collection was donated to the NYS Museum by The Partnership for New York City, Inc., in 2003. It consists of over two hundred portraits of Chamber members and associates. Most are late 19th century works, but the earliest and one of the most important pieces is a portrait of Cadwallader Colden painted in 1772 by Matthew Pratt. The collection includes works by Daniel Huntington, Eastman Johnson, T. W. Wood, and Cecilia Beaux. Many of the sitters were business and financial leaders with national and international impact, including Morris K. Jesup, Cyrus Field, J. J. Astor III, and Samuel F. B. Morse. Extending into the 1970s, the scope of the collection covers two centuries and underscores the importance of New York City to the development of the state and the nation.