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Primary sourcePainting1845

The Death of President Andrew Jackson

1845

A coloured lithograph from 1845 depicting the deathbed of Andrew Jackson, created the year he died.

This lithograph depicts Jackson's deathbed scene, created the same year he died, showing how his death was publicly commemorated.

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Coloured lithograph titled Death of Gen'l Andrew Jackson. An elderly man lies in bed under white sheets while a physician in a dark coat holds a pocket watch and a man stands behind him. A seated older woman in black dress and white cap sits at left, a girl and a kneeling young woman near the bed, and a woman in a blue dress with a man at right look on. Labels at top name the figures; dates at bottom read born March 15, 1767, died 8 June 1845.
Death of Gen'l Andrew Jackson, coloured lithograph, 1845. Wellcome Collection, London.

About this source

What it is

This is a coloured lithograph titled Death of Gen'l Andrew Jackson, dated 1845, the year Jackson died. It shows an elderly man lying in bed, attended by a physician holding a pocket watch, along with several other figures including seated and standing women and a young girl. Labels at the top name the people shown, and dates at the bottom give Jackson's birth and death dates. It is held today by the Wellcome Collection in London.

Why it matters

This print is an example of how the death of a former president was publicly imagined and memorialised soon after it happened. It reveals how Jackson, one of the most prominent political figures of his era, was remembered by the public, and how deathbed scenes were a common way to commemorate important leaders in the 19th century.

Look closer

  • Who are the people shown around the bed, and what might their positions and expressions suggest about their roles?
  • Why do you think the artist chose to include a physician checking the time?
  • What does this image leave out about Jackson's life and presidency?

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

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