Primary sourcePainting1816

James Monroe

John Vanderlyn · 1816

An 1816 oil portrait of James Monroe by John Vanderlyn, painted the year he was elected president.

This portrait depicts Monroe at the moment he won the presidency.

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Oil portrait of a middle-aged man with gray hair, shown from the chest up in a dark coat and white cravat, turned slightly to his right against a dark background with a faint pillar on the left. — John Vanderlyn, James Monroe, 1816. National Portrait Gallery.

About this source

What it is

This is an oil portrait of James Monroe painted in 1816 by John Vanderlyn, held by the National Portrait Gallery. It shows Monroe from the chest up, turned slightly, against a dark background.

Why it matters

Painted the year Monroe won the presidency, this portrait became one of the standard images used to represent him, especially in teaching about his era, sometimes called the

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

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Oil portrait of an older man with gray hair, wearing a black coat and white cravat with ruffled jabot, against a soft blue-gray and brown background. He looks toward the viewer with a slight expression.

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Gilbert Stuart · c. 1817

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