George Augustus Baker Jr.

George Augustus Baker Jr. was an artist active across the mid-nineteenth century, working approximately between 1821 and 1875. Spanning five decades of production, his artistic output is represented in major American institutions, most notably the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The works of George Augustus Baker Jr. held in these museum collections demonstrate a focus on portraiture and figural studies. Five distinct pieces are documented, four of which are thematic studies included as part of the McGuire Scrapbook. These preserved drawings include detailed studies such as Head of a Girl (from McGuire Scrapbook), Head of a Man Wearing a Helmet (from McGuire Scrapbook), Head of a Woman (from McGuire Scrapbook), and the broader composition Sketches of Heads (from McGuire Scrapbook). A specific portrait, Mrs. William Loring Andrews, confirms the artist’s engagement with specific, individualized subjects.

The preservation of Baker’s works confirms their status as museum-quality pieces suitable for scholarly study and reference regarding 19th-century American portraiture. Today, works by George Augustus Baker Jr. paintings and studies are often available as high-quality prints through public domain initiatives, ensuring access to his detailed figural drawings.