Miniature Portrait of Colonel John Laurens

1780

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

Peale rendered Laurens, aide-de-camp to George Washington during the Revolutionary War, as a handsome man with a slight, somewhat arrogant smile, dressed in military uniform. In 1780 the Continental Congress named Laurens a special envoy to France to help Franklin secure additional support for the American cause. Laurens spoke excellent French and was indefatigable in his mission, but his bluntness ruffled a few feathers at court (although his insistence ultimately paid off).

Artwork Details

Overview

Exhibition History

Title: Miniature Portrait of Colonel John Laurens
Artist: Charles Willson Peale (American, Chester, Maryland 1741–1827 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Date: 1780
Medium: Watercolor on ivory
Dimensions: 1 1/2 × 1 1/8 in. (3.8 × 2.9 cm)
Classification: Miniatures
Credit Line: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; acquired with the generous support of an anonymous donor. Conserved with funds from the Smithsonian Women's Committee (NPG.2009.111)
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts