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Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant
Artist
Thomas Le Clear, 11 Mar 1818 - 26 Nov 1882
Sitter
Ulysses Simpson Grant, 27 Apr 1822 - 23 Jul 1885
Date
c. 1880
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Frame (Verified): 179.1 x 123.5 x 10.2cm (70 1/2 x 48 5/8 x 4")
Stretcher: 136.5 × 80.6cm (53 3/4 × 31 3/4")
Topic
Exterior
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Mustache
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Beard
Ulysses Simpson Grant: Male
Ulysses Simpson Grant: Natural Resource Occupations\Agriculturist\Farmer
Ulysses Simpson Grant: Politics and Government\Cabinet member\Secretary of War
Ulysses Simpson Grant: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Civil War
Ulysses Simpson Grant: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\General
Ulysses Simpson Grant: Politics and Government\President of US
Ulysses Simpson Grant: Congressional Gold Medal
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; transfer from the Smithsonian American Art Museum; gift of Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, Jr., 1921
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.70.16
Exhibition Label
Eighteenth president, 1869–1877
Ulysses S. Grant was a West Point graduate who had no real ambition to be in the military: he wanted to be a teacher. Nonetheless, he served with distinction in the Mexican-American War. After resigning from the army in peacetime, he reenlisted during the Civil War. Following a series of victories, Grant was brought east by Lincoln to command the Union armies. His unrelenting campaign against Robert E. Lee, in 1864–65, finally won the war for the North. Grant was ultimately elected president, but the powers of command he displayed in the army seemed to abandon him when he reached the White House. He was unable to manage the politics of Reconstruction, and his hands-off attitude spawned an outbreak of federal corruption. Shortly after his presidency, Grant posed for the artist Thomas Le Clear. Grant owned this portrait, while a second, larger version entered the White House collection.
18o presidente, 1869–1877
Ulysses S. Grant se graduó de West Point sin verdaderas ambiciones militares: quería ser maestro. Sin embargo, sirvió con distinción en la Guerra de Estados Unidos y México. Después de renunciar del ejército en tiempo de paz, volvió a alistarse durante la Guerra Civil. Después de una serie de victorias, Grant fue transferido al este por órdenes de Lincoln para que comandara los ejércitos de la Unión. Su campaña sin tregua contra Robert E. Lee, en 1864–65, finalmente consiguió que el norte ganara la guerra. Grant fue finalmente electo presidente, pero las dotes de mando que demostró en el ejército parecen haberlo abandonado cuando llegó a la Casa Blanca. No pudo manejar la política de la Reconstrucción y su postura de no intervenir dio pie a un brote de corrupción a nivel federal. Poco después de su término presidencial, Grant posó para el artista Thomas Le Clear. Este retrato fue propiedad de Grant, mientras que una segunda versión, de mayor tamaño, pasó a la colección de la Casa Blanca.
Thomas Le Clear (1818–1882)
Provenance
Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, Jr., San Diego; gift 1921 to National Museum [NCFA]; transferred 1970 NPG.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Exhibition
America's Presidents (Reinstallation September 2017)
On View
NPG, South Gallery 240