In this portrait, the sitter pauses in reading, his finger marking his place in the book he has just put down to meet our gaze. The slight twist in his posture lends a degree of spontaneity to the moment. This portrait was painted when Hone was a young man. He would go on to travel through Europe and build an impressive art collection. He was a famous diarist, and became active in politics as a speaker and organizer. Later, as mayor of New York, he presided over the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825.