On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.

Miniature Portrait of Colonel John Laurens

Charles Willson Peale American

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 899

Peale rendered Laurens, aide-de-camp to George Washington during the Revolutionary War, as a handsome man with a slight, somewhat arrogant smile, dressed in military uniform. In 1780 the Continental Congress named Laurens a special envoy to France to help Franklin secure additional support for the American cause. Laurens spoke excellent French and was indefatigable in his mission, but his bluntness ruffled a few feathers at court (although his insistence ultimately paid off).

Miniature Portrait of Colonel John Laurens, Charles Willson Peale (American, Chester, Maryland 1741–1827 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Watercolor on ivory

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.