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James Buchanan
Jacob Eichholtz (born Lancaster, PA 1776-died Lancaster, PA 1842)
1834
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Classification
- Paintings
- Dimensions
- 36 1/8 x 28 1/4 in. (91.7 x 71.8 cm)
- Museum
- Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Harriet Lane Johnston
- Rights
- CC0 (Smithsonian Open Access), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Teens profiles and older: its subject is for older viewers (war, death, the Passion, drink or the like). How works are placed
View at the Smithsonian Institution
About this work
James Buchanan served many roles before he was elected the fifteenth president of the United States. This portrait was painted after his term as minister to Russia, but he also acted as a representative, senator, and secretary of state. Jacob Eichholtz's painting accurately depicts Buchanan, who often wore black suits and large white cravats. The future president appears composed and confident, but his slightly uneven eyes give him an intimidating stare. The portrait was owned by Buchanan and then given to his niece, Harriet Lane Johnston, who served as his official hostess at the White House during his administration.
