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Artist
Unidentified Artist
Sitter
Daniel Webster, 18 Jan 1782 - 24 Oct 1852
Date
c. 1850
Type
Photograph
Medium
Sixth-plate daguerreotype
Dimensions
Image: 8.3 x 7cm (3 1/4 x 2 3/4")
Case Open: 9.4 x 16.5 x 1.1cm (3 11/16 x 6 1/2 x 7/16")
Topic
Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie\Necktie
Cased object
Daniel Webster: Male
Daniel Webster: Law and Crime\Lawyer
Daniel Webster: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Massachusetts
Daniel Webster: Politics and Government\Cabinet member\Secretary of State
Daniel Webster: Politics and Government\US Senator\Massachusetts
Daniel Webster: Politics and Government\US Congressman\New Hampshire
Daniel Webster: Education and Scholarship\Orator
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.99.46
Exhibition Label
Born Salisbury, New Hampshire
In a period when American federalism faced increasing challenges from states’-rights supporters, Daniel Webster emerged as one of the Union’s most eloquent defenders. Having gained acclaim as a lawyer who argued some of the young republic’s pivotal Supreme Court cases, Webster became a major force in national politics through his service in the House and in the Senate. There, his brilliant orations on behalf of the indivisibility of the Union marked him as one of the greatest public figures of his generation. Despite his national stature, Webster fell short of mustering the broad support that might have won him the presidency.
This daguerreotype represents Webster around the time of his controversial endorsement of the Compromise of 1850. In supporting the measure, Webster sought to preserve the Union through concession and compromise but succeeded principally in incurring the wrath of his northern constituents, who abhorred the legislation’s Fugitive Slave Act. Although attacks from his critics left Webster shaken and burdened by “the crushing weight of anxiety and responsibility,” he soldiered on until a liver ailment claimed his life in October 1852. The evergreen sprig preserved with this daguerreotype serves as a reminder of Webster’s endurance as a symbol and an icon in American history.
Nacido en Salisbury, New Hampshire
En tiempos en que el federalismo estadounidense afrontaba crecientes retos por parte de los que apoyaban los derechos de los gobiernos estatales, el abogado Daniel Webster se destacó como uno de los defensores más elocuentes de la Unión. Luego de ganarse el aplauso popular litigando ante el Tribunal Supremo en varios casos cruciales para la joven república, Webster pasó a ejercer una importante influencia sobre la política nacional como miembro de la Cámara de Representantes y del Senado. Allí, sus brillantes discursos a favor de la indivisibilidad de la Unión lo señalaron como una de las grandes figuras públicas de su generación. A pesar de su notoriedad, Webster no logró el amplio respaldo que podría haberle ganado la presidencia.
Este daguerrotipo capta a Webster hacia la época de su controversial endoso al Compromiso de 1850. Webster apoyó la medida buscando preservar la Unión con una estrategia de concesiones y acuerdos, pero lo que logró fue sobre todo la ira de sus votantes norteños, quienes aborrecían la Ley de Esclavos Fugitivos, fruto del mencionado compromiso. Aunque los ataques de sus críticos lo dejaron abatido bajo “el peso aplastante de la ansiedad y la responsabilidad”, Webster continuó su lucha hasta que en octubre de 1852 una dolencia hepática acabó con su vida. La ramita de árbol perenne que se conserva con este daguerrotipo nos recuerda la persistencia de Webster como símbolo e ícono de la historia estadounidense.
