Portrait of Remedios de Escalada

What it is

This is a small miniature-style portrait by Carlos Durand of María de los Remedios de Escalada de San Martín, shown with dark hair, a jeweled headpiece and a pale gown.

It depicts the wife of José de San Martín, painted against a soft, plain background typical of miniature portraiture.

Why it matters

Remedios de Escalada helped raise support in Mendoza for the Army of the Andes, the force her husband led across the mountains to fight for independence. This portrait reveals the social and family networks behind military campaigns, reminding us that independence movements relied on more than generals alone.

Look closer

• What does the careful, formal style of this portrait suggest about the social status of the person shown?
• Why might historians value a portrait of a leader's spouse alongside portraits of the leader himself?
• What is left out of a portrait like this that a letter or diary might reveal instead?