Henry Clay

Hartford: Published by E. Huntington, 1832. Engraving. Printed on wove paper. In excellent condition with the exception of some minor scuffs in the margins. Framed (1 1/2" gold leaf Federal frame with ribbed panel and acanthus lead corners, archival Antique white mat and Plexiglas). A charming engraving of Henry Clay by the accomplished American engraver Jarvis Griggs Kellogg.

Kellogg came from a family of engravers who established one of the most successful print publishing businesses in the country. Unlike his brothers, Kellogg learned the art of engraving in Boston and spent the majority of his career there. This fine image reproduces a painting by the American portrait painter Charles Bird King, which is now housed in the Corcoran Gallery in Washington. King studied under Edward Savage in London, but his best work was executed in Washington where he remained for the duration of his career. Although he painted many beautiful still-lives, he garnered a reputation as a talented portrait painter of eminent Americans. Known as the Great Pacifier, Henry Clay (1777-1852) became one of the leading statesmen of his day. He was an esteemed orator and a charismatic politician who helped solidify American politics during the tumultuous period preceding the Civil War. By 1812 he had been elected to seven terms in the Kentucky state legislature, and had completed two terms in the Senate. He went on to distinguish himself as Speaker of the House, and Secretary of the State but failed in his numerous attempts to win the presidency. Clay was a Jeffersonian Democrat who helped establish America's two-party system. He successfully negotiated the treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812, and was instrumental in negotiating both the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Compromise of 1850, the great Union preserving, diplomatic efforts of the first half og the 19th century.

Stauffer, American Engravers on Copper and Steel, Vol. III, p. 23.