Death of General Zachary Taylor
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Accession Number
NPG.82.15
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
In 1850, master lithographer Nathaniel Currier captured a poignant moment in American history with his print *Death of General Zachary Taylor This evocative scene depicts the revered military hero and 12th President of the States on his deathbed surrounded by a somber crowd, a chair, books, and his Congressional Gold Medal. Currier, renowned for his affordable hand-colored lithographs that brought current events into homes across the nation, masterfully conveyed grief and national mourning through detailed compositions typical of mid-19th-century printmaking. Zachary Taylor, a veteran of the ...