POTUS at The Met

Celebrate Presidents’ Day by taking in a few patriotic portraits from The Met collection

Happy Presidents’ Day! For most of us, it’s a day to relax away from the office. For Met Store customers, it’s an occasion to shop—and save, thanks to 20% off our entire range of art-inspired gifts. And for anyone who loves art as much as they love feeling patriotic, it’s a chance to look at a few presidentially inspired artworks from The Met collection.

The Father of His Country

George Washington is a staple of the Museum’s American Wing—and his likeness can be admired in paintings, sculptures, and even coins.

George Washington. Gilbert Stuart (American, 1755–1828). Oil on canvas, 30 1/4 x 25 1/4 in., begun 1795. Rogers Fund, 1907 (07.160)

George Washington. Hiram Powers (American, 1805–1873). Marble, 31 x 23 x 14 in., 1838–44 (carved after 1844). Gift of Erving and Joyce Wolf, in memory of Diane R. Wolf, 1982 (1982.443.2)

George Washington. Bronze, diam. 1 1/8 in. 31 x 23 x 14 in., 1838–44 (carved after 1844). Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick S. Wait, 1908 (08.230.16)

Honest Abe

Abraham Lincoln’s famously craggy face and figure are icons of American history—and of American art. One of the first public figures whose photograph was widely disseminated, Lincoln appears in The Met’s galleries in multiple media.

Abraham Lincoln. Alexander Gardner (American, 1821–1882). Gelatin silver print, 18 x 15 in., 1863 (printed 1901). Warner Communications Inc. Purchase Fund, 1976 (1976.627.1)

Abraham Lincoln. Andrew O’Connor (American, 1874–1941). Limestone, 38 x 37 x 26 in., 1916. Gift of Mrs. Willard Straight, 1922 (22.41)

Abraham Lincoln: The Man (Standing Lincoln). Augustus Saint-Gaudens (American, 1848–1907). Bronze, 40 1/2 x 16 1/2 x 30 1/4 in., 1884–87 (reduced 1910; cast 1911). 38 x 37 x 26 in., 1916. Purchase, Tyson Family Gift, in memory of Edouard and Ellen Muller; The Beatrice G. Warren and Leila W. Redstone, and Maria DeWitt Jesup Funds; Dorothy and Imre Cholnoky, David Schwartz Foundation Inc., Joanne and Warren Josephy, Annette de la Renta, Thomas H. and Diane DeMell Jacobsen Ph.D. Foundation, and Felicia Fund Inc. Gifts, 2012 (2012.14a, b)

Bonus POTUS

While Washington and Lincoln are this holiday’s stars, we thought we’d highlight three images of other presidents who influenced the development of our republic.

James Monroe. Gilbert Stuart (American, 1755–1828). Oil on canvas, 40 1/4 x 32 in., ca. 1820–22. Bequest of Seth Low, 1916 (29.89)

John Quincy Adams. Moritz Fürst (active United States, 1807–ca. 1840). Silver, diam. 2 in., 1825. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick S. Wait, 1907 (07.251.106)

General Andrew Jackson. John Wesley Jarvis (American, 1780–1840). Oil on canvas, 48 1/2 x 36 in., ca. 1819. Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1964 (64.8)