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Primary sourcePhotograph1850

Zachary Taylor

Southworth and Hawes · 1850

A daguerreotype portrait of Zachary Taylor made in the last year of his life, showing him as an older man in military-style dress.

A lifetime photographic portrait of Taylor himself, made in the final year of his life.

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Sepia-toned daguerreotype portrait of an older man with gray, wavy hair, wearing a dark military-style double-breasted coat with buttons and a high white collar. He stands with arms at his sides, in an oval-cut mat frame.
Southworth and Hawes, photograph of Zachary Taylor, 1850. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this source

What it is

This is a daguerreotype photograph of Zachary Taylor, made in 1850 by the photography studio of Southworth and Hawes. It is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Why it matters

Early photography like this gave Americans a direct, lifelike image of their leaders rather than relying only on painted portraits. This daguerreotype captures Taylor near the end of his life and presidency, offering a rare high-quality lifetime likeness.

Look closer

  • What does Taylor's clothing and posture suggest about how he wanted to be seen?
  • Why might a daguerreotype feel different from a painted portrait to viewers at the time?
  • What can and can't a photograph like this tell us about a person's character?

This photograph 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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Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Nicholas Trist; Mexican commission · 2 February 1848

Handwritten manuscript on aged paper with cursive text and crossed-out words, showing the resolutions of the Compromise of 1850, including provisions on California statehood and slavery in the territories.Document

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Compromise of 1850

Henry Clay · 29 January 1850 (resolutions); statutes enacted September 1850

Speech

Primary source

Inaugural Address of Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor · 5 March 1849

Black-and-white daguerreotype of eight men in dark suits and white collars seated and standing in a row against a dark background. The plate is scratched and worn, with a mottled border.Photograph

Primary source

The Taylor Administration

Mathew Benjamin Brady · 1849

Sepia-toned daguerreotype portrait of an older man with white, tousled hair in a dark military-style double-breasted uniform coat with rows of buttons and shoulder insignia, seated with hands out of view, facing the camera with a stern expression against a gray backdrop.Photograph

Primary source

Zachary Taylor half plate daguerreotype

unknown, possibly Maguire of New Orleans · c. 1843-1845

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