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Primary sourcePhotographc. 1849–1850

Daguerreotype Portrait of Martin Van Buren

Mathew Benjamin Brady · c. 1849–1850

A photographic portrait of Martin Van Buren taken around 1849–1850 by Mathew Brady, showing him in old age during his Free Soil presidential campaign.

This photograph depicts Van Buren himself during his later Free Soil presidential campaign.

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Black and white daguerreotype portrait of an elderly man with white hair, seated and facing slightly toward the viewer, wearing a dark coat, high white collar, and dark cravat. He has a faint smile. A dark border frames the image and handwritten caption text appears along the bottom.
Mathew Brady, daguerreotype portrait of Martin Van Buren, c. 1849–1850. Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University.

About this source

What it is

This daguerreotype of Martin Van Buren was made around 1849–1850 by photographer Mathew Brady in Philadelphia. It is held by the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University.

Why it matters

Taken at the time of Van Buren's run as the Free Soil Party's presidential candidate, this image is said to be the most reproduced photograph of him. It shows him as an older statesman, years after his presidency, as he re-entered national politics on an antislavery platform.

Look closer

  • What does his expression and posture suggest about how he wanted to be seen?
  • Why might a photographer like Brady have been in demand to photograph political figures of this era?
  • What might this image not tell you about his political views at the time?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Martin Van Buren on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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The Autobiography of Martin Van Buren

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1848 Free Soil and Liberty National Conventions

1848

Handwritten manuscript page in brown ink cursive, numbered 188 at top right, with lines of script about constitutional duty, presidential term limits, and Indian removal policy. Aged cream paper.Speech

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Message to Congress On Indian Removal

Andrew Jackson · 6 December 1830

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