John Chew Thomas
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.74.39.11.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the National Portrait Gallery's collection at the Smithsonian American Art Museum this elegant 1800 print captures John Chew Thomas, prominent Maryland lawyer and statesman during the early years of the American republic. Created by French émigré artist Charles Balthazar Julienévret de Saint-Mmin (1770–1852), the portrait exemplifies the artist's innovative profile style, which became a hallmark of Federal-era portraiture. Saint-Mémin, fleeing the French Revolution, arrived in Philadelphia in 1793 and quickly adapted to American tastes, producing thousands of such likenesses for the emergin...