Portrait of Ogden Nicholas Rood

Peter Von Hess's portrait sketch of Ogden Nicholas Rood, the American physicist and color theorist, rendered in ink on paper. Rood's shoulder-length hair, goatee, and contemplative expression are captured through confident linear hatching typical of nineteenth-century portraiture. The inscription identifies him as a New Haven resident and U.S. citizen. Rood would later become known for Modern Chromatics (1879), which synthesized optical science and artistic practice, influencing color theory across disciplines from painting to design well into the twentieth century.