Thomas Benton, Senator from Missouri
c. 1840
Medium
Lithograph on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Sheet (mount): 42.2 × 35.5 cm (16 5/8 × 14 in.); 30.9 × 28.4 cm (12 3/16 × 11 3/16 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
129432
Art Historical Context
This lithograph portrait, created around 1840 by Charles Fenderich, captures Thomas Hart Benton during his long tenure as a U.S. Senator from Missouri., a key figure in antebellum politics, championed westward expansion and economic policies that shaped the young nation. The image, printed on ivory wove paper, presents him with the dignified bearing expected of a statesman, reflecting the era’s interest in visual representations of national leaders. Lithography was a relatively new and accessible medium at the time, allowing artists like Fenderich to produce multiple impressions that could re...