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Major General Andrew Jackson

Major General Andrew Jackson
Artist
James Barton Longacre, 11 Aug 1794 - 1 Jan 1869
Copy after
Thomas Sully, 19 Jun 1783 - 5 Nov 1872
Sitter
Andrew Jackson, 15 Mar 1767 - 8 Jun 1845
Date
1820
Type
Print
Medium
Hand-colored stipple engraving on paper
Dimensions
Image: 37.2 × 29.9 cm (14 5/8 × 11 3/4")
Sheet: 57.1 × 41.5 cm (22 1/2 × 16 5/16")
Mat: 71.1 × 55.9 cm (28 × 22")
Topic
Exterior
Weapon\Sword
Nature & Environment\Animal\Horse
Costume\Dress Accessory\Button\Brass
Andrew Jackson: Male
Andrew Jackson: Law and Crime\Lawyer
Andrew Jackson: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\General
Andrew Jackson: Politics and Government\US Senator\Tennessee
Andrew Jackson: Politics and Government\President of US
Andrew Jackson: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Tennessee
Andrew Jackson: Law and Crime\Judge\Justice\State Supreme Court Justice\Tennessee
Andrew Jackson: Politics and Government\Governor\Florida
Andrew Jackson: Congressional Gold Medal
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.79.240
Exhibition Label
Born Lancaster, South Carolina
Starting with George Washington and extending to Dwight Eisenhower, America has rewarded successful military commanders with the presidency. Andrew Jackson’s victory at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 immediately vaulted him to political prominence, not least because the nascent forces of American democracy—artisans, workingmen, and small farmers—coalesced around him as the exemplar of the common man. The prominent Philadelphia portraitist Thomas Sully painted several portraits of Jackson as a military figure and intended one of them, done in 1819 and now owned by New York State, to be reproduced as a print by James Longacre. Although oil painting was, and still is, the most prestigious way to create a likeness, artists were always interested in disseminating their images through engravings and lithographs. Of course, popular prints of Andrew Jackson did the man himself no harm as he launched his political career
Nacido en Lancaster, South Carolina
Desde George Washington hasta Dwight Eisenhower, Estados Unidos ha premiado a diversos líderes militares con la presidencia de la nación. La victoria de Andrew Jackson en la batalla de New Orleans en 1815 de inmediato lo catapultó hacia la fama política. A esto se unió el hecho de que las nacientes fuerzas de la democracia norteamericana —artesanos, trabajadores y pequeños agricultores— se aglutinaron en torno a él, viéndolo como modelo ejemplar del hombre común. Thomas Sully, prominente retratista de Philadelphia, pintó a Jackson varias veces en su faceta de militar. Uno de los retratos, ahora propiedad del Estado de New York, fue realizado en 1819 para que James Longacre lo reprodujera en grabados. Aunque la pintura al óleo era, y es, la técnica retratista más prestigiosa, a los artistas les atraía la idea de divulgar sus imágenes mediante grabados y litografías. Por supuesto, los grabados de Andrew Jackson para consumo popular no vinieron nada mal cuando este decidió hacer carrera en la política.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view