Alexander Hamilton
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Object Details
- Artist
- John Trumbull, 6 Jun 1756 - 10 Nov 1843
- Copy after
- Giuseppe Ceracchi, 4 Jul 1751 - 31 Jan 1801
- Sitter
- Alexander Hamilton, 11 Jan 1757 - 11 Jul 1804
- Exhibition Label
- Born Nevis, West Indies
- Illegitimate and orphaned at an early age, Alexander Hamilton possessed drive and intelligence that attracted wealthy patrons who sent him to North America to study at King’s College (now Columbia University). An early advocate for independence from Britain, he enlisted in the army and came to the attention of George Washington, who made him a member of his military “family.”
- After independence, Hamilton supported a stronger national government, assisting in the ratification of the Constitution by authoring, with John Jay and James Madison, the most original contribution to American political thought, the Federalist Papers. Washington, impressed with Hamilton’s mastery of economics, made him the first secretary of treasury. Hamilton’s policies—assumption of state debts, encouragement of commerce and manufacturing, and promotion of a national bank—are credited with laying the groundwork for a strong republic. He was killed in a duel with the vice president, Aaron Burr.
- Provenance
- Henry Cabot Lodge; his son George C. Lodge; gift to NPG 1979
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Henry Cabot Lodge
- 1806
- Object number
- NPG.79.216
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Stretcher: 77.5 x 62.2 x 3.5cm (30 1/2 x 24 1/2 x 1 3/8")
- Frame: 89.2 x 73.7 x 9.2cm (35 1/8 x 29 x 3 5/8")
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Alexander Hamilton: Male
- Alexander Hamilton: Law and Law Enforcement\Lawyer
- Alexander Hamilton: Literature\Writer
- Alexander Hamilton: Military\Army\Officer\Revolution
- Alexander Hamilton: Politics and Government\Cabinet Member\Secretary of Treasury
- Alexander Hamilton: Politics and Government\Congressman\Continental congressman
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.79.216
- Metadata Usage (text)
- CC0
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4bb4063c2-742a-4001-b058-c44558749058
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