Before he came to the United States in 1839, the
Swedish-born engineer and inventor John Ericsson
was known for his development of the screw propeller,
which revolutionized navigation. He achieved fame
during the Civil War when he designed the ironclad
warship Monitor, which demonstrated its merit
in its encounter with the Confederate ironclad Virginia
(formerly the USS Merrimack) in 1862. A model
of this “tin can on a raft” appears in
the portrait.
Ericsson, always working alone, had previously
perfected engines for many purposes, including
fire engines and a steam locomotive. He later
developed the forerunner of the modern naval destroyer.
|
|
Avid Frederick Nyholm (1866–1927)
Oil on canvas, 1912
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Transfer from the Smithsonian American Art Museum;
gift of the Swedish American Republican League
of Illinois to the Smithsonian Institution, 1912
|
