Nathan Read

Art Historical Context

In 1800, French-born artist Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mé captured the profile of Nathan Read, a Massachusetts inventor and statesman, in this striking print. Saint-Mémin, who fled the French Revolution and settled in America, became renowned for his precise portraiture during the early republic. Working in cities like Philadelphia and New York, he produced of these intimate likenesses, documenting the nation's emerging leaders and innovators. This portrait exemplifies Saint-Mémin's signatureognotrace technique—a device that traced silhouettes with mathematical accuracy, later engraved and often hand-colored for lifelike effect. As a print, it democratized portraiture, making high-quality images affordable beyond oil paintings reserved for the elite. Nathan Read, tagged here as a Massachusetts figure, embodied the era's inventive spirit, contributing to steam technology amid America's industrial dawn. Housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, this work from the National Portrait Gallery collection offers a window into post-Revolutionary identity. It celebrates individual achievement while highlighting printmaking's role in preserving history for future generations. (198 words)