Henry Laurens — President of the Continental Congress
Paris, 1781
Frame: 9 x 7 inches; sight: 7⅜ x 5½ inches
 
A finely engraved medallion portrait of Henry Laurens, drawn from life by Pierre Eugène Du Simitière and engraved in Paris by B. L. Prévost. The sitter appears in right-facing profile within a suspended oval, rendered with refined line work and delicate tonal gradation characteristic of late 18th-century French engraving. The lower margin retains its engraved credit line and manuscript title; the sheet is preserved with full margins and presented in a later frame.
 
Laurens, a prominent South Carolina merchant and patriot leader, succeeded John Hancock as President of the Second Continental Congress, presiding during the critical period surrounding the Articles of Confederation. Captured at sea while en route to Europe, he was imprisoned in the Tower of London—the only American held there during the Revolution—before his exchange for Charles Cornwallis in 1782. Issued in Paris at the height of the conflict, the present engraving reflects European interest in American leadership and offers a scarce and refined likeness of one of the Revolution’s more elusive figures.
 
Condition: Excellent.