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Primary sourcePainting1877

President Hayes and His Cabinet

Popular Graphic Arts · 1877

An 1877 Currier & Ives lithograph depicting Hayes seated with his newly appointed cabinet members.

This lithograph documents Hayes and the cabinet officials who served under him during his presidency.

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Black-and-white lithograph of nine men in 19th-century suits gathered around a draped table with papers. Caption lists cabinet members and President Rutherford B. Hayes. Title: President Hayes and His Cabinet. Publisher line: New York, Currier & Ives.
"President Hayes and His Cabinet," lithograph, Currier & Ives, 1877.

About this source

What it is

This lithograph, published by Currier & Ives in 1877, shows President Rutherford B. Hayes gathered with nine men of his cabinet around a draped table covered with papers. It is titled President Hayes and His Cabinet.

Why it matters

The print documents the group of men Hayes chose to lead his administration at the start of his presidency. Such lithographs were popular ways for the public to see and learn the names of national leaders in an era before widespread photography.

Look closer

  • What does the formal arrangement of the figures suggest about how the administration wanted to be seen?
  • Why might a publisher like Currier & Ives have produced this image for popular sale?
  • What does this type of image leave out about the real relationships and conflicts within a cabinet?

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

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