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Secondary sourcePainting1853

Steel Engraved Portrait of Bolívar by W. Holl after M.N. Bate

William Holl II · 1853

An 1853 steel engraving of Simón Bolívar in military uniform, made after a print by M.N. Bate.

This 1853 engraving depicts Bolívar's likeness, copied from an earlier portrait, long after his death.

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Black-and-white steel engraved portrait of a man with dark wavy hair and a mustache, wearing a high-collared military uniform with epaulettes and buttoned coat. Below the image are the printed title 'Bolivar' and credit lines.
William Holl II, after M. N. Bate, Bolivar, 1853. University of Edinburgh.

About this source

What it is

This is a steel engraved portrait of Simón Bolívar made in 1853 by William Holl II, based on an earlier print by M.N. Bate. It is held by the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom.

Why it matters

Made decades after Bolívar's death, this engraving shows how his likeness was reproduced and copied by artists for audiences far from South America, helping build his reputation as a historical figure known throughout the wider world.

Look closer

  • What does the uniform and pose suggest about how the artist wanted Bolívar to be remembered?
  • Why might an engraver in 1853 be copying an earlier image rather than working from life?
  • What might be lost or changed when a portrait is copied from another print?

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

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