Primary sourcePainting1795

Engraving of John Adams by J. T. Smith

J. T. Smith · 1795

An engraved portrait of John Adams from 1795, made while he was serving as vice president, showing him with navigational instruments.

This 1795 engraving depicts Adams during his vice presidency, though with an unusual caption describing him as a teacher.

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Engraved portrait of a man in a dark coat with a white cravat and powdered hair, seated behind a table with a sextant, a compass, and papers. Caption below names John Adams, teacher of mathematics, navigation, and etc. — John Adams, engraving by J. T. Smith, 1795. Wellcome Collection, United Kingdom.

About this source

What it is

This engraving of John Adams was made by J. T. Smith in 1795 and is held by the Wellcome Collection. It shows Adams seated with a sextant, compass, and papers, with a caption describing him as a teacher of mathematics and navigation.

Why it matters

By 1795 Adams was vice president of the United States. This print's unusual caption and imagery suggest it may have circulated outside America with a different, perhaps mistaken, description of his profession, showing how reputations and images could travel and change across borders.

Look closer

Why might this print describe Adams as a teacher of mathematics and navigation rather than a statesman?
What do the instruments on the table suggest about how the engraver imagined his work?
How reliable do you think a caption like this is as historical evidence?

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

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