Henry Clay, Senator from Kentucky
Medium
Lithograph on gray chine paper, laid down on cream wove paperboard
Dimensions
Sheet: 29.8 × 28.2 cm (11 3/4 × 11 1/8 in.); Support: 38.5 × 35.3 cm (15 3/16 × 13 15/16 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
129433
Art Historical Context
This 1840 lithograph by Charles Fenderich captures Henry Clay, the influential Kentucky senator and leading Whig statesman, at a pivotal moment in American politics. Created during Clay’s active role in national debates over tariffs, banking, and westward expansion, the portrait reflects the era’s growing interest in reproducing images of public figures for a wider audience. Fenderich, a Swiss-born artist who specialized in lithographic portraits of American leaders, helped shape how citizens visualized their representatives in an age before photography became widespread. The work’s medium—a ...