William Henry Harrison

Art Historical Context

This intimate 1800 portrait captures William Henry Harrison early in his public life, before he became the ninth president of the United States. Created by French émigré artist Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin, the small print reflects the era’s growing demand for affordable likenesses of emerging American leaders. Harrison, then serving as governor of the Indiana Territory, appears at a pivotal moment in the young nation’s westward expansion. Saint-Mémin specialized in precise profile portraits produced with the physiognotrace, a mechanical drawing device that traced silhouettes before the artist translated them into print. Here he combines mezzotint and engraving to achieve rich tonal depth within a compact format measuring just over two inches square. The technique allowed for velvety blacks and fine detail, making such works both personal keepsakes and widely distributable images. Housed in the National Gallery of Art’s Corcoran Collection, this print exemplifies how early American portraiture blended European artistic traditions with the practical needs of a democratic society hungry for visual records of its founders and statesmen.

About the Artist

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin · 1770–1852

**Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin** Born on March 12, 1770, in Dijon, France, to marquis Bénigne-Charles Févret de Saint-Mémin, a former conseiller au Parlement de Bourgogne, and Victoire-Marie de Motmans, a creole from Port-au-Prince, Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin received a military education at the École Militaire in Paris, graduating in 1785. He served as a cad...