Algernon Moses Marsden
- Artist: James Jacques Joseph Tissot
- Date: 1877
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 18 7/8 in. x 28 1/2 in. (480 mm x 725 mm) overall
- Portrays: Algernon Moses Marsden
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is an oil portrait by the French artist James Jacques Joseph Tissot, painted in 1877. The canvas measures about 19 × 28½ inches – a generous size that lets you see every detail.
The sitter, Algernon Moses Marsden (1847‑1920), looks relaxed and confident. He leans against an armchair covered with tiger‑skin upholstery, its pattern almost a visual cue to the luxury of his world. In one hand he holds a cigar, while a gleaming ring on his finger catches the light. Around him sit vases, a urn, and other decorative objects that echo his trade as a prominent art dealer.
Tissot’s brushwork is warm and polished; his palette highlights the sitter’s rich garments and the subtle shadows of the room. The painting radiates the glamour for which he was best known, offering a glimpse of both Marsden’s charisma and the opulent style of late‑nineteenth‑century London.
See it in person
Algernon Moses Marsden is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
