Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
John Tayloe III |
Dates of Creation |
1806 |
Scope & Content |
Mezzotint and engraving in black on wove paper mounted to brown wove paper of John Tayloe III by French artist, Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin. Portrait was originally framed in a circular gold federal style frame, but has been removed. Frame is 1972.6.9.2 From the National Portrait Gallery: Between 1796 and 1810, Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin (1770-1852) created some of the most memorable images in the history of American portraiture. Nearly a thousand Americans sat for portraits, among them Thomas Jefferson, Paul Revere, Mother Seton, Meriwether Lewis, and Charles Willson Peale. Saint-Mémin's popularity rested on a growing appreciation for profiles as a particularly truthful form of portraiture, and his distinctive images have come to epitomize Federal America. A member of the French hereditary nobility, Saint-Mémin came to New York City in 1793, at the age of twenty-three. He was a former military officer exiled by the events of the French Revolution. In New York, Saint-Mémin turned to the arts to support himself, his parents, and his sister. With some training in drawing and an aptitude for precision, he taught himself the art of engraving. First, he made a few landscapes and city plans. Then, in 1796 he took up the profession of portraitist. His partner was Thomas Bluget de Valdenuit (1763-1846), also of the French military. |
Year Range from |
1806 |
Year Range to |
1806 |
Subjects |
Silhouettes Portrait Portrait miniatures Portrait prints Portraits |
Search Terms |
St. Memin Saint-Memin portrait Tayloe mezzotint engraving |
People |
Tayloe, John III Févret de Saint-Mémin, Charles B. J. |
Collection |
Historical Society of Western Virginia |
Imagefile |
080\1972691.JPG |
Number of images |
1 |
Object Name |
Silhouette |
Object ID |
1972.06.9.1 |
Extent of Description |
Small piece of brown wove paper, 2.75 h x 2.5 w, image itself 2.25 diameter |