Artwork
John Adams
John Adams is a gouache drawing by the Romanticist artist Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin. It dates from 1800 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The drawing is a portrait of John Adams, who served as the second President of the United States.
The drawing is a portrait of John Adams, who served as the second President of the United States. Rendered in profile, the depiction follows the neoclassical portrait convention popularized by Saint-Mémin, who used a physiognotrace to capture exact silhouettes of prominent figures of the early American republic. The strict profile view emphasizes Adams's distinctive facial features and conveys a sense of dignified restraint characteristic of early federal-era portraiture.
By isolating the sitter against a plain ground, the work focuses attention on Adams's likeness rather than narrative or allegorical elements, aligning the image with the documentary tradition of likeness-making rather than symbolic representation.
Technique & Style
Created in 1800, the portrait of John Adams by Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin is executed on off-white laid paper that has been coated with gouache. The artist employed Conté crayon and white-chalk heightening to model the figure, with the possible addition of charcoal. The work is a profile portrait, capturing the subject in a classical, linear style typical of the artist's neoclassical approach to portraiture. The drawing measures 54.6 cm in height and 38.4 cm in width.
History & Provenance
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin created this portrait of John Adams in 1800. The work was executed using Conté crayon, charcoal, and white-chalk heightening on off-white laid paper that had been coated with gouache. Currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art within its American Wing, the drawing measures 54.6 by 38.4 units.
The available records confirm the artist, date, medium, and current institutional ownership, but do not provide details regarding the original commission, prior owners, or the specific circumstances of its creation.
The drawing of John Adams by Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It bears the accession number 2003.123 and has been part of exhibitions focused on early American portraiture at the museum.
Legacy
The drawing of John Adams by Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin was created in 1800 using conté crayon, charcoal, white-chalk heightening, and gouache on laid paper. It is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains part of The American Wing collection. The work's profile portrait of the subject has contributed to enduring scholarly attention on Adams' public persona, though specific details about later exhibitions or market influence are not documented in the provided sources.
Overview
In 1800, French émigré artist Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint‑Mémin produced a profile drawing of the former American president John Adams. Executed on off‑white paper coated with a thin layer of gouache, the work combines conté crayon, charcoal and white chalk to render a stark, monochrome likeness.
Context
Profile portraiture was a popular mode in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, drawing on classical coinage and medallion imagery. Saint‑Mémin’s work aligns with this tradition, offering a dignified visual record of a key figure in the early Republic.
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin (French pronunciation: ; 1770–1852) was a French portrait painter and museum director.
