Joel Barlow

Art Historical Context

This enchanting 1793 print portrait by French engraver Louis Charles Ruotte (1754–1806) captures the multifaceted American figure Joel Barlow, depicted with a distinctive bowtie and an olive branch symbolizing peace. Produced as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection—gifted by Mr. and Mrs. Joel Barlow—it exemplifies the era's printmaking tradition, where detailed engravings allowed for widespread dissemination of prominent likenesses through affordable reproductions. Joel Barlow (1752–1812) was a Renaissance man of the early American republic: poet, writer, journalist, lawye...