Jean Marie Soulier
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
Accession Number
S/NPG.74.39.7.48
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant 1802 print portrays Jean Marie Soulier, a male subject captured in profile by the French-born artist Charles Balthazar Julien Fret de Saint-Mé (1770–1852). Saint-Mémin, who fled the French Revolution and settled in America, specialized in precise portrait prints that documented the early republic's diverse citizens—from statesmen to merchants. Produced during a time when photography was decades away, these works offered an accessible alternative to costly oil paintings, making portraiture available to the middle class. Saint-Mémin's innovative technique involved the physiognotrac...