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Primary sourcePainting1849

The Inauguration of Gen. Zachary Taylor

Wm. Croome (drawing); Brightly & Keyser (engraving) · 1849

A wood engraving drawn on the spot showing Zachary Taylor's 1849 presidential inauguration.

Depicts Taylor's inauguration as president in 1849, drawn from life at the event.

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Engraved print titled 'The Inauguration of Gen. Zachary Taylor.' A columned hall holds a classical statue, a crowd of men in dark coats, and a draped flag at right. A small oval portrait of a uniformed man sits below, with text beneath.
Wm. Croome (drawn) and Brightly & Keyser (engraved), The Inauguration of Gen. Zachary Taylor, 1849.

About this source

What it is

This wood engraving was drawn on the spot by Wm. Croome and engraved by Brightly & Keyser in 1849. It shows the inauguration of General Zachary Taylor, dedicated to the 'Rough and Ready Clubs' that supported him, and it was produced by Popular Graphic Arts.

Why it matters

Taylor's inauguration marked his move from war hero to president, and this print shows how the event was captured and celebrated for his political supporters. It gives a glimpse of the ceremony, the crowd, and the symbols used to present a new president to the public.

Look closer

  • Why might this print be dedicated to Taylor's political clubs rather than to a neutral audience?
  • What details in the hall — the statue, the flag, the crowd — tell you about how the event was staged?
  • What might be missing from a print made to celebrate a political figure?

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

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The Taylor Administration

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Zachary Taylor half plate daguerreotype

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