John Laurens
Medium
Painting
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquired with the generous support of an anonymous donor. Conserved with funds from the Smithsonian Women's Committee
Accession Number
NPG.2009.111
Tags
About this artwork
(Neal Auction Company, New Orleans, 21 and 22 November 2009, lot 229); purchased 2009 NPG
Art Historical Context
Step into the riveting world of the American Revolution with this exquisite 1780 miniature portrait of Laurens by Charles Willson Peale, a master of early American portraiture Laurens, a dashing South Carolina patriot and aide-de-camp to George Washington, embodied the era's fervor for independence. A fierce soldier, diplomat, and early abolitionist who petitioned to arm enslaved people against the British, he met a tragic end in battle in 1782. Captured at the height of the war, this intimate painting from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery evokes the personal stakes of liberty. Peale...