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.74.39.11.21
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Josiah Parker** (1799) is a striking profile portrait print by Charles Balthazar Févret de Saintémin, a Frenchaver who fled the Revolution and brought innovative portraiture to early America. Capturing Virginia statesman Josiah Parker—a farmer, militia leader, and delegate—this work exemplifies Saint-Mémin's signatureognotrace technique. He used a mechanical pantograph to trace sitters' profiles precisely, then engraved them onto copper plates for detailed, affordable prints, making elite likenesses accessible beyond oil paintings. Created in 1799, amid the young nation's post-Revolutionary...