James Longstreet
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Accession Number
S/NPG.84.412
Tags
Art Historical Context
In 1864, amid the intensifying American Civil War, this print portrait captured James Longstreet, a prominent Major General often called Robert E. Lee's "Old War Horse." As a key military leader, Longstreet played pivotal roles in major battles like Gettysburg, embodying the era's turbulent loyalties and strategic brilliance. Later in life, he ventured into business, diplomacy, government service, reflecting the postwar reinvention of Southern figures. Housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's National Portrait collection, this unidentified artist's work offers a window into how Civil Wa...