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Primary sourcePainting1790

Portrait of Tadeusz Kościuszko by Józef Kosiński

Józef Kosiński · 1790

A 1790 portrait of Kościuszko by Polish painter Józef Kosiński, made during his lifetime.

A lifetime portrait of Kościuszko painted before his famous 1794 uprising against Russian rule.

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Oil painting in an ornate gilded Rococo-style frame showing a bust-length portrait of a man with shoulder-length hair, turned three-quarters to the left, wearing a dark blue coat with an orange-red collar and a fringed epaulette. The background is dark brown.
Józef Kosiński, Portrait of Tadeusz Kościuszko, 1790.

About this source

What it is

This 1790 bust-length portrait by Polish painter Józef Kosiński shows Tadeusz Kościuszko in military dress, painted while he was alive.

Why it matters

Dating from before his famous 1794 uprising against Russian rule, this portrait captures Kościuszko at an earlier stage of his career, giving students a chance to compare how his image changed over time as his fame grew.

Look closer

  • What details of his uniform and epaulette tell us about his military role at this time?
  • Why might the painting have been placed in such an ornate gilded frame?
  • How does this portrait compare to later images of Kościuszko made after he became a national hero?

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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Fort Putnam

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Handwritten manuscript page in Polish, dark ink on aged paper, with an ornate title reading 'Ustawa Rządowa' and the opening invocation 'W Imię Boga w Trójcy Świętey Jedynego', followed by a list of royal titles and body text in cursive. A handwritten date notation appears at top right.Document

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Constitution of May 3, 1791

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