Rutherford B. Hayes engraving from Perley's Reminiscences

What it is

This is an engraved portrait of Rutherford B. Hayes, taken from volume 2 of Perley's Reminiscences of sixty years in the national metropolis, an illustrated memoir of Washington society. The engraving shows a bearded man with short, combed-back hair, wearing a dark jacket, vest and bow tie, and looking to the viewer's left. The caption RUTHERFORD B. HAYES appears below the picture. The image is held by the British Library.

Why it matters

Illustrations in memoirs like this one helped readers recognize public figures in print. The record says the engraving was probably made from a portrait, so it is a reproduction rather than a direct record of Hayes's own appearance. The image shows how his face was shared with readers who had not met him.

Look closer

• What details of clothing and hairstyle does the engraving show, and what might they say about the period?
• Why would a memoir of Washington society include a portrait of a president?
• How might an engraving made from another portrait differ from a photograph taken from life?