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Primary sourcePainting1845

Death of General Andrew Jackson

1845

A coloured lithograph made in 1845 showing Andrew Jackson's deathbed surrounded by mourners, marking his death that year.

Depicts Jackson's deathbed in 1845, made at the time of his death as a public memorial image.

Coloured lithograph titled 'Death of Genl. Andrew Jackson'. A man lies in bed surrounded by mourners: a seated woman in black on the left, men in dark suits standing at the bedside, a woman in a blue gown on the right, and two girls in white dresses kneeling by the bed. Inscription beneath reads Born March 15th 1767 and Died June 8th 1845.
Death of Genl. Andrew Jackson. Coloured lithograph, 1845. Wellcome Collection.

About this source

What it is

This is a coloured lithograph titled Death of Genl. Andrew Jackson, made in 1845, the year Jackson died. It shows a deathbed scene with mourners around the bed, and an inscription giving his birth and death dates. It is held today by the Wellcome Collection in the United Kingdom.

Why it matters

Prints like this were made quickly after a famous person's death to be sold and shared widely, showing how the public mourned and remembered Andrew Jackson, a former U.S. president. It reflects the emotional, sentimental way death was depicted in that era, with family and friends gathered at the bedside.

Look closer

  • Who do you think the people around the bed are, and why might the artist have included them?
  • Why would someone create and sell a print like this soon after a president's death?
  • What does the careful, formal arrangement of mourners tell you about how death was portrayed at the time?

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

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