John Quincy Adams Pewter-Rim Mirror 
American, circa 1824 or 1828 - Diameter: 1 5/16 inches
 
An exceptionally rare pewter-rim portrait of John Quincy Adams, widely regarded as the scarcest presidential candidate encountered in this highly collected format. Pewter-rim portraits enjoyed broad popularity from the early to mid-nineteenth century and remain among the most avidly collected forms of early American political material. Likely produced during either the contentious election of 1824 or the hard-fought campaign of 1828, the present example belongs to a formative moment in American political culture, when the expansion of popular campaigning gave rise to some of the nation’s earliest presidential election ephemera.
 
Produced in several sizes, only a small number of Adams examples are known in the larger format; this smaller variant is the only example of its size known to us. Preserved in a private collection for the past forty years, it is notable for both its rarity and unusually diminutive scale, placing it among the most desirable presidential portrait novelties of the period.
 
Condition: Very fine, lacks the suspension loop.