Ulysses S. Grant

What it is

This is a full-length painted portrait of a bearded, graying man in a dark suit, standing with one hand resting on his waistcoat before a wooded background. It was painted by Thomas Le Clear in 1880, after Grant had left the presidency, and is now part of the National Portrait Gallery's presidential collection.

Why it matters

Painted during Grant's lifetime, the portrait reflects how he was presented in his later years as a respected statesman rather than as the wartime general he had been earlier in his career. Its place in the National Portrait Gallery's presidential collection shows how Grant was remembered among the nation's leaders.

Look closer

• How does this formal portrait differ from wartime photographs of Grant in uniform?
• What does Grant's pose and clothing suggest about how he wanted to be remembered?
• What is left out of a posed portrait like this that a photograph might capture instead?