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Charles Saint-Mémin's American Passport

Subject Issued to Charles B. J. F. de Saint-Mémin French
Author Signed by Robert Smith American
June 30, 1810
Not on view
Issued to the artist Charles de Saint-Mémin, this passport describes him as aged forty, five feet 4 1/2 inches tall, with a light complexion, hazel eyes, two scars on his left arm, and a bald head usually covered with a wig. After an education at the École Militaire in Paris, Saint-Mémin left France with his family during the Revolution, first for Switzerland, then New York (arriving in 1793, they intended to move on to a family estate in Sainte Domingue (now Haiti), but were prevented by the uprising on that island). To support the family, Charles became a self-taught portraitist and specialized in profiles, often produced with the help of a physiognotrace. His subjects included John Marshall, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. This document indicates that the artist became a United States citizen during this period. Returning to France in 1814, he became director of the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dijon.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Charles Saint-Mémin's American Passport
  • Subject: Issued to Charles B. J. F. de Saint-Mémin (French, Dijon 1770–1852 Dijon)
  • Author: Signed by Robert Smith (American, 1757–1842)
  • Date: June 30, 1810
  • Medium: Letterpress and pen and ink
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 9 5/8 × 15 9/16 in. (24.5 × 39.5 cm)
  • Classification: Documents
  • Credit Line: Museum Accession
  • Object Number: Ref.Saint-Memin.1
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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