James Murray Mason and John Slidell
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Accession Number
S/NPG.84.415
Tags
Art Historical Context
This 1861 print, *James Murray Mason and John Slid*, captures two pivotal figures from the American Civil War era: James Murray Mason, a Virginia lawyer and diplomat, and Slidell, a Confederate official and diplomat. by an unidentified artist, illustration serves as a dual portrait, reflecting the era's fascination with key political players amid national division. Housed in the Smithsonian American Museum's National Portrait Gallery, it exemplifies how prints democratized imagery, allowing widespread dissemination of likenesses through newspapers and broadsides. The artwork's historical sign...