Jonathan Burrall

Art Historical Context

Created between 1798 and 1803, this intimate portrait of Jonathan Burrall showcases the refined printmaking skills of Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin, a French émigré artist who became renowned in early America for his profile likenesses. Working during the young republic’s formative years, Saint-Mémin catered to a growing middle class eager for affordable yet elegant portraits of notable citizens. The circular format and modest scale—barely two inches across—typify the portable keepsakes he produced for private albums and personal collections. The print’s combination of mezzotint and engraving allowed Saint-Mémin to achieve rich tonal gradations and crisp detail on a tiny surface. By rocking the mezzotint rocker across the copper plate and then incising fine lines, he captured subtle modeling of clothing and features while maintaining the crispness expected of an engraved likeness. The work’s presentation on wove paper mounted to a brown secondary sheet further suggests it was prepared as a treasured object meant to be handled and admired up close. Today housed in the National Gallery of Art’s Corcoran Collection, this delicate print offers visitors a window into the early American taste for refined, reproducible portraiture that blended European technique with democratic accessibility.

About the Artist

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin · 1770–1852

**Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin** Born on March 12, 1770, in Dijon, France, to marquis Bénigne-Charles Févret de Saint-Mémin, a former conseiller au Parlement de Bourgogne, and Victoire-Marie de Motmans, a creole from Port-au-Prince, Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin received a military education at the École Militaire in Paris, graduating in 1785. He served as a cad...