Jacint Laval

Art Historical Context

**Jacint Laval (1809)** Charles Balthazar Julien Féret de Saint-Mé, a French émigré artist who settled in America, crafted this striking profile print of Jacint Laval, a multifaceted figure known as a merchant, sheriff, army captain, and colonel. 1809, the portrait captures Laval in military attire, complete with epaulets, a feathered hat, and commanding posture—hallmarks of early 19th-century American amid the young nation's expansion and tensions like the lead-up to the War of1812. Saint-Mémin pioneered a distinctive physionotrace technique, using a mechanical outlining device to create precise silhouette profiles, which he then engraved and hand-colored for mass production as affordable prints. This innovation made high-quality portraiture accessible beyond the elite, democratizing likenesses in a portrait-obsessed society. As a print in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection (gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon), it exemplifies his prolific output of over 800 surviving works documenting prominent Americans. Laval's portrait reflects the era's blend of commerce, civic duty, and military valor, offering a window into the diverse roles shaping frontier life. Housed in the National Portrait Gallery, it invites visitors to ponder how such images preserved personal stories in a rapidly evolving republic.