Thomas Jefferson

Copied Henry Dmochowski Saunders, Jean-Antoine Houdon, Thomas Jefferson, ca. 1857, plaster/cast and patinated, 28 3⁄4 x 19 1⁄2 x 10 in. (73.0 x 49.5 x 24.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, XX70
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Thomas Jefferson
Artists
Date
ca. 1857
Location
Dimensions
28 3⁄4 x 19 1⁄2 x 10 in. (73.0 x 49.5 x 24.4 cm.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
plaster/cast and patinated
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait male — Jefferson, Thomas — bust
  • Occupation — political — president
Object Number
XX70
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/XX70

Artwork Description

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was a popular subject of American portraitists throughout his lifetime. French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon’s portrait bust has had the greatest impact in America because it was reproduced on the Jefferson dollar, minted in 1903 to commemorate the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase. For this work, Henry Saunders copied Houdon’s bust while still living in Philadelphia, where the artist would have been able to study a bronzed plaster cast of it in the collection of the American Philosophical Society.