Thomas Sully. “Jackson.” Philadelphia: George W. Childs, 1852. 22 1/2 x 17 1/2. Engraving by Thomas B. Welch. Wide margins. Facsimile signature. Very good condition.
Thomas Sully painted this likeness of Jackson in 1824, although he did not execute a completed oil on canvas until 1845. Sully had given a sketched copy of the portrait to Jackson, who in turn had given it to Francis Blair, and that is the source of this engraving. (See: James G. Barber's Andrew Jackson. A Portrait Study, Washington, 1991: 207-10). This handsome and sympathetic bust portrait is the head and shoulders for the full-length oil on canvas of Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans by Sully. It is also the basis for the portrait of Jackson on the twenty dollar bill today. The painting ended up in the collection of Francis Preston Blair and from that painting Welch made this rich engraving. A classic image of Jackson.