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Primary sourcePainting1806

Joseph Brant by Ezra Ames

Ezra Ames · 1806

An 1806 life portrait of Joseph Brant by Ezra Ames, the last American image of him made shortly before his death.

The last known American portrait of Brant, painted from life shortly before his death in 1807.

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Black-and-white reproduction of a painted portrait of an older man with a receding hairline and dark hair swept back, wearing a dark high-collared garment. He faces forward with a neutral expression against a textured background.
Ezra Ames, Joseph Brant, 1806 (black-and-white reproduction).

About this source

What it is

This portrait of Joseph Brant was painted from life by the American artist Ezra Ames in 1806. The surviving image available here is a black-and-white reproduction of the original painting.

It shows an older man with a receding hairline, dark hair swept back, wearing a dark high-collared garment.

Why it matters

This was the last American portrait made of Brant, painted shortly before his death. It captures him in old age, after decades as a Mohawk leader and intermediary between Indigenous nations, the British, and the Americans.

Look closer

  • How does this portrait of Brant in old age compare with the earlier portraits made of him as a younger man?
  • What might be lost in a black-and-white reproduction of a painted portrait?
  • What does the plain, formal clothing suggest about how Brant wanted to be remembered?

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

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Joseph Brant by Gilbert Stuart

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Joseph Brant by Charles Willson Peale

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Joseph Fayadaneega, called the Brant, the Great Captain of the Six Nations

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Joseph Brant by William Berczy

William Berczy · c. 1807

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