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Primary sourcePainting1817

Portrait of Tadeusz Kościuszko

Ramsay Richard Reinagle · 1817

A 1817 oil portrait of Kościuszko by British painter Ramsay Richard Reinagle, painted near the end of his life in exile.

This portrait, painted in the year of his death, shows Kościuszko as he appeared in his final years of exile.

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Oil portrait of an older man with untidy white hair, dark brown coat with a high collar, maroon cravat, and white shirt collar. He gazes toward the viewer against a dark background, one hand resting at the lower right edge. Inscription in the upper left corner.
Ramsay Richard Reinagle, Portrait of Tadeusz Kościuszko, 1817. National Museum in Warsaw.

About this source

What it is

This oil portrait, painted in 1817 by Ramsay Richard Reinagle, shows an elderly Tadeusz Kościuszko with white hair, dressed in a dark coat. It is held by the National Museum in Warsaw.

Why it matters

Painted the same year Kościuszko died, the portrait reflects the admiration he received in Britain as an exiled Polish military and political leader. Such portraits shaped how later generations imagined him in his final years.

Look closer

  • What does the artist's choice of dark clothing and background suggest about the mood of the portrait?
  • Why might a British painter have wanted to portray a Polish exile?
  • What might this image leave out about Kościuszko's earlier, more active years?

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

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