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Primary sourcePaintingc. 1828

Portrait of José de San Martín

c. 1828

A painted portrait from around 1828, during his European exile, showing San Martín in military uniform and now the standard image of the general.

This portrait depicts San Martín and is the most widely used image of him in historical memory.

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Oil painting of a man with dark, swept-back hair and sideburns wearing a dark military uniform with gold embroidered collar and cuffs and gold epaulettes. He holds a light-colored staff and a light blue and white flag with a laurel branch at upper right.
Portrait of José de San Martín, c. 1828.

About this source

What it is

This oil painting, made around 1828 while San Martín was living in European exile, shows him as a mature general in dark military uniform with gold embroidery and epaulettes, holding a staff beside a flag with a laurel branch.

Why it matters

This portrait became the most widely recognized image of San Martín, shaping how later generations picture the leader of Argentine, Chilean, and Peruvian independence. Painted after his active military campaigns had ended, it presents him as a dignified statesman rather than a battlefield commander, reflecting how his image was crafted for posterity.

Look closer

  • What choices did the painter make to present San Martín as dignified and heroic?
  • Why might this portrait, made during his exile, differ from how he looked during his campaigns?
  • What symbols in the painting (the flag, the staff, the laurel) tell you about how San Martín wanted to be remembered?

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

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Primary source

Letter to Bernardo O'Higgins Announcing the Victory at Maipú

José de San Martín · 5 April 1818

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Primary source

Máximas para mi Hija

José de San Martín · 1825

Handwritten Spanish manuscript page on lined paper, with a faded seal at upper left. The text begins 'En el Nombre de Dios todo poderoso' and continues with San Martín's will, mentioning his daughter Mercedes, a pension for his sister Elena, and his sable given to Juan Manuel de Rosas.Document

Primary source

Testamento de San Martín

José de San Martín · 1844

Oval gilt frame behind glass holding a sepia daguerreotype portrait of an elderly man with white hair and a moustache, wearing a dark double-breasted coat, dark cravat and white shirt, seated with one hand resting on his knee.Photograph

Primary source

Daguerreotype of José de San Martín

Unknown daguerreotypist, Paris · 1848

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