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Primary sourcePaintingc. 1795

Samuel Adams Mezzotint by George Graham after John Johnston

George Graham, after John Johnston · c. 1795

A mezzotint portrait of Samuel Adams made around 1795, near the end of his life, when he served as Governor of Massachusetts.

A portrait of Adams made near the end of his life while he served as Governor of Massachusetts.

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Mezzotint portrait of an older man in a powdered wig and dark coat with a cravat, set in an oval frame. Below the oval is printed 'S. ADAMS, ESQ.', 'Governor of Massachusetts', and '1795'. Handwritten notes in pencil appear at the bottom.
George Graham, after John Johnston, S. Adams, Esq., Governor of Massachusetts, c. 1795. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

About this source

What it is

This mezzotint portrait of Samuel Adams was made by George Graham around 1795, copying an earlier portrait by John Johnston. It is held by the National Portrait Gallery and shows Adams as an older man, captioned 'Governor of Massachusetts'.

Why it matters

Made near the end of Adams's life, when he was serving as Governor of Massachusetts, this image reflects how he was publicly presented in his final years of political service, far from his earlier role as a revolutionary agitator. It shows the later stage of a long political career that began decades before Independence.

Look closer

  • How does this portrait of an older Adams, dressed formally as a governor, compare to images made of him as a younger revolutionary?
  • What does the oval frame and printed title suggest about how such portraits were meant to be displayed or collected?
  • Why might someone have added handwritten notes to this print after it was made?

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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