Artwork
Captain Thompson
Captain Thompson is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin. It dates from 1800 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Charles B.
About this work
Overview
Charles B. J. Févret de Saint‑Mémin’s print titled “Captain Thompson” is a small, square image measuring roughly 5.5 cm on each side. Executed in black mezzotint and engraving, the work is printed on wove paper that has been affixed to a brown‑toned backing. The portrait presents a single figure in a formal military dress, rendered in a precise, highly detailed manner.
Subject & Meaning
The image portrays a man turned in profile, dressed in a formal officer’s uniform that conveys rank and decorum. The sideways orientation emphasizes the sitter’s facial features and the crisp lines of his attire, suggesting a conventional approach to commemorating military service and personal status in the early nineteenth century.
Technique & Style
Saint‑Mémin combined mezzotint’s tonal richness with fine engraving lines to achieve a nuanced surface of light and shadow. The intricate hatching and textural detail reveal the artist’s command of printmaking, allowing the uniform’s fabric and the subject’s facial contours to emerge with remarkable clarity despite the work’s modest dimensions.
History & Provenance
Created around 1800, the portrait belongs to a period when French émigré artists produced portrait prints for an American clientele. While specific ownership records are scarce, the print’s continued availability as high‑quality reproductions indicates its inclusion in collections that value early American portraiture and the technical skill of Saint‑Mémin.
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin (French pronunciation: ; 1770–1852) was a French portrait painter and museum director.
