Louis Nicolas Adolphe Rinck (French, 1802-1895). Oil on canvas painting depicting a Creole gentleman, 1841. Signed and dated along the upper left.

Height: 28 3/4 in x width: 23 1/2 in. 
Framed; height: 35 in x width: 29 1/2 in x depth: 2 3/4 in.
 
There is craquelure throughout the work. There are two lines of inpainting that stretch from the top edge down towards the gentleman's head, visible under UV light. There are five patches along the verso corresponding to areas of restoration and inpainting along the recto. Due to a thick varnish, it is difficult to discern the extent of the damage and repair work done. A cardboard piece affixed to the verso has been removed to allow for inspection of the painting. All stretcher keys present; discoloration and wear to the stretcher and verso. Light wear to the frame, which appears to be original.
 
Louis Nicholas Adolphe Rinck, frequently identified as Adolph D. Rinck, (February 26, 1802 – June 24, 1895) was a portrait painter active in New Orleans throughout the mid-19th century.
Rinck was born in Metz, France. His father was a Hessian officer. He studied at the Prussian Academy of Arts in Berlin starting in the 1820s before enrolling in the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1835. While in Berlin and Paris, he painted several notable portraits, including of Prussian statesman Friedrich Ancillon and of Claude Monet's parents.
By December 1840, Rinck had relocated to New Orleans, taking out an advertisement in The New Orleans Bee promoting his services. During his time in the city, he painted portraits of a number of prominent New Orleanians, including Judah Touro, Judah P. Benjamin, Joshua Baker, and Edward Pilsbury, as well as John Woodhouse Audubon, Charles Sumner, and many prominent individuals from the Creole community.  In addition to painting, Rinck taught lessons in painting and drawing.
Rinck brought a French academic style of painting to New Orleans that represented a shift in styles from other French painters who'd come to the growing city seeking work. He put greater emphasis on anatomical details and a more dramatic focus on the sitter.
In 1855, Rinck purchased a large plot of land in Algiers, New Orleans, near English Turn with the aim of developing a model farm to teach plantation management and scientific agriculture. After the Civil War, he sought support from the Louisiana state legislature for his planned school, but proved unsuccessful. He left New Orleans around 1871 with the intent to return to Europe but ended up remaining in New York City until his death in June 1895.