James Monroe Engraving
After John Vanderlyn; engraved by Thomas Gimbrede, circa 1817 - Frame: 16½ x 12 inches; sight: 14⅜ x 10⅛ inches
 
A rare engraved portrait of James Monroe, issued shortly after his first inauguration in 1817. After the political and military upheaval of the War of 1812, Monroe’s presidency came to symbolize a period of national consolidation and relative political unity remembered as the Era of Good Feelings.
 
As the final president of the Virginia Dynasty, Monroe presided over a nation newly confident in its independence and increasingly conscious of its distinct political identity. Portraits of this period reflect that transition from wartime uncertainty to postwar self-assurance.
 
Condition: Very fine.