Peter A. B. Widener

Against a dark background, light from the upper left illuminates an elderly man.
He wears a dark green coat, and his right hand rests on a wooden door behind him.

The man's name is Peter Arrell Brown Widener.
Born into a working-class family in Philadelphia and trained as a butcher, he amassed his initial fortune by supplying meat to the Union Army during the Civil War.
He later invested in streetcars and urban transportation, rising to become one of America's wealthiest men.

In 1902, he visited Sargent's studio in London.
The completed portrait was displayed in his immense mansion, Lynnewood Hall.
Its place was directly above the fireplace in the 'Van Dyck Room'.
He sought to align his own image with the lineage of classical court portraits.

In 1903, Sargent himself visited Widener's estate.
Their intellectual exchange was such that a second portrait was painted there.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly.