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Secondary sourcePainting1857

Sam Adams engraving by W. G. Jackman, 1857

W. G. Jackman · 1857

An 1857 engraved portrait of Samuel Adams by William G. Jackman, showing him with curled hair and a high white collar.

An 1857 engraved likeness that helped make Samuel Adams's appearance known to mid-19th-century audiences.

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Black-and-white engraved portrait of a man with light, curled, shoulder-length hair, wearing a dark coat, high white collar, and buttoned waistcoat, facing slightly to the left. Engraver's credit below the image and a cursive signature 'Sam Adams' at the bottom.
W. G. Jackman, Sam Adams, engraving, 1857.

About this source

What it is

This is an engraved portrait titled 'Sam Adams', engraved by W. G. Jackman and dated 1857. It shows a man with light, curled, shoulder-length hair, a dark coat, a high white collar and a buttoned waistcoat, facing slightly to the left. The engraver's credit appears below the image, and a cursive signature reading 'Sam Adams' sits at the bottom.

Why it matters

In the mid-1800s, engraved portraits of famous Americans were sold as prints and placed in books and homes. Jackman's engraving is a later likeness, made decades after Adams died, so it reflects the taste and ideas of its own time. It helped keep Adams's face known to a new generation.

Look closer

  • What details of hair, collar and coat does the engraver stress, and why might those matter to viewers?
  • What does the signature add to the image, and who is it meant to make the viewer think of?
  • What can this print not tell us about Adams's life?

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

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