United States House of Representatives: History, Art, & Archives
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Henry Clay

Henry Clay/tiles/collection/1/1783.xml
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Date

1852

Artist

Giuseppe Fagnani

Dimensions

30 x 24 in. (76.2 x 61 cm) Framed: 45 x 39 1/4 in. (114.3 x 99.7 cm)

Accession Number

2005.016.007

Credit Line

Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives

Object Details

The Henry Clay portrait—the first Speaker portrait donated to the House of Representatives— was a gift from the Italian-born artist Giuseppe Fagnani in 1852. Accepted by the House on July 3, 1852 (shortly after Clay’s death), Fagnani’s portrait shows Clay as he appeared during his career in the House several decades earlier. The artist’s paintings of allegorical subjects are in notable collections, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but he was also known as portrait artist, depicting such famous individuals as Daniel Webster and Samuel F. B. Morse.

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Office of the Historian: history@mail.house.gov
Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk: art@mail.house.gov, archives@mail.house.gov