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Primary sourcePainting1848

Zachary Taylor

James Lambdin · 1848

An 1848 portrait of Zachary Taylor painted during the year of his presidential nomination and election.

A formal portrait of Taylor made in the year he was elected president.

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Oil portrait of an older man with white hair and a stern expression, shown from the chest up. He wears a dark navy military-style coat with brass buttons, a shoulder insignia with a star, a white collar, and a dark cravat, against a dark brown background.
James Lambdin, Zachary Taylor, 1848. National Portrait Gallery.

About this source

What it is

This oil portrait of Zachary Taylor was painted in 1848 by James Lambdin. It shows Taylor from the chest up, wearing a dark military-style coat with brass buttons and a star insignia. It is held by the National Portrait Gallery.

Why it matters

The portrait dates from the year Taylor was nominated and elected president, showing how his image as a military hero was shaped and presented to the public at a pivotal moment in his career.

Look closer

  • What does Taylor's uniform and posture suggest about how he wanted to be seen?
  • Why might a portrait be commissioned during an election year?
  • What is left out of a formal portrait like this compared to a battlefield scene?

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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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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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

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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

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Zachary Taylor half plate daguerreotype

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

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