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Catalog Data

Artist:
Auguste Edouart, 1788 - 1861  Search this
Sitter:
Joseph Marion Hernandez, 1793 - 1857  Search this
Medium:
Ink wash, chalk and cut paper on paper
Dimensions:
Image/Sheet: 27.9 × 21.1 cm (11 × 8 5/16")
Mat (Verified): 55.9 × 40.6 cm (22 × 16")
Frame: 47.9 × 37.8 × 3.2 cm (18 7/8 × 14 7/8 × 1 1/4")
Type:
Silhouette
Place:
United States\District of Columbia\Washington
Date:
1841
Exhibition Label:
As silhouettes portrayed men and women from all walks of life, we find some portraits of surprising firsts, such as this image of Joseph Marion Hernández, who was Florida’s first delegate to the House of Representatives and the first Hispanic member of Congress. Hernández, born in Florida when it was under Spanish rule, later became an American citizen. His three plantations produced rice, cotton, oranges, and sugar using slave labor. After his unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate in 1845, he moved to Cuba to manage his family’s sugar estate.
Although Auguste Edouart notes that Hernández was a brigadier general in the Florida militia, he depicts him in the clothing of a gentleman. Edouart used white chalk to create volume and detail in Hernández’s clothes, even highlighting the fabric’s wrinkles.
Dado que en las siluetas quedaron representados hombres y mujeres de todas las condiciones sociales, entre esos retratos encontramos primi- cias sorprendentes, como esta imagen de Joseph Marion Hernández, primer delegado por Florida a la Cámara de Representantes y primer miembro hispano del Congreso. Hernández nació en Florida aún bajo el dominio español y más tarde obtuvo la ciudadanía estadounidense. Tenía tres plantaciones que producían arroz, algodón, naranjas y azúcar con mano de obra esclava. Luego de un fracasado intento por llegar al Senado en 1845, se radicó en Cuba para manejar la hacienda azucarera de su familia.
Aunque Auguste Edouart apunta que Hernández era brigadier general en la milicia de Florida, lo retrata en atuendo de caballero. Utiliza tiza blanca para crear volúmenes y detalles en la ropa, resalt- ando incluso las arrugas.
Topic:
Interior  Search this
Silhouette\Cut-out  Search this
Costume\Headgear\Hat\Top hat  Search this
Joseph Marion Hernandez: Male  Search this
Joseph Marion Hernandez: Natural Resource Occupations\Agriculturist\Farmer  Search this
Joseph Marion Hernandez: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Brigadier General  Search this
Joseph Marion Hernandez: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Florida  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Robert L. McNeil, Jr.
Object number:
S/NPG.91.126.59.B
Restrictions & Rights:
CC0
See more items in:
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location:
Currently not on view
Data Source:
National Portrait Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm47bbf8cda-d7db-479a-8719-420be3edee16
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_S_NPG.91.126.59.B