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Primary sourcePaintingc. 1837-1838

Portrait of Martin Van Buren by Henry Inman

Henry Inman · c. 1837-1838

An oil portrait of Martin Van Buren painted around the time he became president.

This is a formal painted portrait of Van Buren made around the time he became president.

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Oil portrait of a balding older man with dark curly hair at the sides, fair complexion, light eyes, and a slight closed-mouth smile. He wears a dark high-collared coat and white collar against a near-black background.
Henry Inman, Portrait of Martin Van Buren, c. 1837-1838.

About this source

What it is

This oil portrait of Martin Van Buren was painted by the artist Henry Inman around 1837-1838, around the time Van Buren became president of the United States.

Why it matters

Formal painted portraits like this one were a traditional way of presenting a leader's public image before photography became common. It shows how Van Buren, a rising figure in American politics, wished to be presented as he reached the highest office in the country.

Look closer

  • What does Van Buren's clothing and expression suggest about how he wanted to be portrayed as president?
  • Why might an artist be commissioned to paint a new president around the time of his inauguration?
  • What is missing from a formal portrait like this that a photograph or a letter might show instead?

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

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Daguerreotype Portrait of Martin Van Buren

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1848 Free Soil and Liberty National Conventions

1848

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