Martin Van Buren
Meet the 'Little Magician' of American politics, Martin Van Buren, captured here with his signature mutton-chop sideburns and a piercing, knowing gaze. Francis Alexander uses a realistic style to highlight the president's high forehead and stiff white collar against a dramatic, dark background. Van Buren was a master politician and the first U.S. president born as an American citizen, rather than a British subject. Interestingly, he grew up speaking Dutch in Kinderhook, New York, making him the only president to speak English as a second language!
- Technique
- Oil on canvas
Location: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
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