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Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant
Artist
John D. Gilman, active 19th century
Sitter
Ulysses Simpson Grant, 27 Apr 1822 - 23 Jul 1885
Date
1885
Type
Photograph
Medium
Albumen silver print
Dimensions
Image/Sheet: 10.2 × 15.1 cm (4 × 5 15/16")
Mount: 11 × 16.8 cm (4 5/16 × 6 5/8")
Mat: 45.7 × 35.6 cm (18 × 14")
Topic
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair
Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses
Nature & Environment\Plant
Printed Material\Papers
Equipment\Walking stick\Cane
Costume\Headgear\Hat\Top hat
Exterior\Architecture\Porch
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair\Rocking chair
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
Place
United States\New York\Saratoga\Wilton
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
S/NPG.77.33
Exhibition Label
Grant’s presidency is generally judged as unsuccessful and blighted by corruption. However, the last period of his life has had a lasting imprint on his reputation and on the history of the war. Grant lost almost all of his wealth in a financial panic in 1884, and to make money he started writing about the war. Writer Samuel Clemens negotiated an advantageous contract for him. Diagnosed with throat cancer, Grant raced the clock to finish the book, dying just after completing it. He is shown here near the end. A huge best-seller, Grant’s Memoirs benefited his family, and the book is one of the great works of American literature: the clarity of the crisp, clean prose anticipates modern American writing. It is also an invaluable history of the war that Grant waged so relentlessly.
Generalmente, la presidencia de Grant se considera ineficaz y dañada por la corrupción. Sin embargo, el último período de su vida ha tenido una profunda huella en su reputación y en la historia de la guerra. Grant perdió casi toda su riqueza en un pánico financiero en 1884; para hacer dinero, empezó a escribir sobre la guerra. El escritor Samuel Clemens negoció un contrato ventajoso para él. Al diagnosticarle cáncer de garganta, Grant se puso un límite de tiempo para terminar el libro y murió poco después de completarlo. Aquí se lo retrata cerca del final. Un enorme éxito de ventas, Las Memorias de Grant, benefició a su familia. El libro es una de las grandes obras de la literatura estadounidense. La claridad de la prosa limpia y escueta se anticipa a la escritura moderna estadounidense. También constituye una historia de valor incalculable de la guerra que Grant desató de forma tan implacable.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view