VAM galleries including this work:
The Filson Historical Society | Kentucky Past and Present || VAM Home

This portrait of Zachary Taylor (1784-1850), 12th president of the United States, was done just a couple of years before Taylor’s death and may portray him in a more polished light than the reality of his appearance. The oval portrait is mounted in an elaborate gold frame with details in the spandrels. Taylor, who is visible from the chest up, is turned one-quarter to his right, but looks back toward the viewer with a contemplative expression. His soft, grey hair turns in toward his face. He wears a dark military jacket with gold buttons and a white shirt, which peeks out at the top. The background is dark.

Taylor’s victories as a soldier at the U.S.-Mexican War battles of Palo Alto, Monterrey, and Buena Vista led to his career in politics. His homespun ways and “Old Rough and Ready” nickname were political assets, and a groundswell of support in the Whig Party swept him to the presidency in 1848. His stated intention upon taking office was to bring harmony to the Union, but his refusal to allow slavery in some of the new territories acquired from Mexico did quite the opposite by inflaming the South. Within a year of Taylor’s election, the country appeared to be moving toward civil war. Only after Taylor’s untimely death in July of 1850 (he got sick after eating cherries at a Fourth of July celebration) was compromise on this divisive issue a possibility.

About the Artist

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a noted portraitist, James Reid Lambdin moved to Louisville in 1832 and painted there for five years before opening a studio in Philadelphia. In 1854, he was appointed director of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and in 1861 he became a professor of fine arts at the University of Pennsylvania. He was a prolific and prominent portrait painter of the 19th century, creating portraits of presidents, generals, and other prominent national figures.

Classroom Ideas

Discussion: What is your impression of the subject shown in this portrait? Does it agree with the nickname “Old Rough and Ready”? Compare this painting to other portraits of Zachary Taylor. Why do you think the artist might have chosen to polish up Taylor’s appearance?

Activity: Choose an American president and research his life and time in office. Look for portraits or photographs and create a poster for a class display.

Links

View other works by Lambdin at these web sites:

• Metropolitan Museum of Art
  [www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/viewOne.asp?dep=2&viewMode=1&item=1985.141.6]
• American Philosophical Society
  [www.amphilsoc.org/library/gallery/ports/humboldt.htm]
• Smithsonian American Art Museum
  [americanart.si.edu/search/search_artworks1.cfm?StartRow=1&ConID=2772&format=short&db=onlyart&LastName=&FirstName=&Title=&Accession=&Keyword]
• National Gallery of Art
  [www.nga.gov/cgi -in/psearch?Request=S&imageset=1&Person=17500]
• Maryland State Archives
  [www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/stagser/s1259/143/ghexhibit/4680-10-0059b.html]
• United States Senate
  [www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/artifact/Painting_32_00022.htm]

The White House’s Presidents of the United States site includes a biography and portrait of Zachary Taylor, president #12.
[www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/]
[www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/zt12.html]