Flight of President Davis
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Accession Number
NPG.84.354
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Flight of President Davis** (1865), a compelling print by an unidentified artist, captures a dramatic moment from the waning days of the American Civil War. Created in the very year of the Confederacy's collapse, it depicts Confederate President Jefferson Davis and key aides—including General Braxton Bragg, Secretary of War John C. Breckinridge, Postmaster General John H. Reagan, and Secretary of State Judah P. Benjamin—fleeing southward. Rendered with period details like horses, trees, flags, swords, and distinctive facial hair, the scene evokes the chaos and desperation as Richmond fell an...