Depicted Zachary Taylor (American, 1784 – 1850)

Paperweight

ca. 1850

Place madeUnited States, North America

Glass

Overall: 1 3/4 x 2 1/2 in. ( 4.4 x 6.4 cm )

Bequest of Mrs. F. MacDonald Sinclair

1965.267

The popularity of General Zachary Taylor as a subject in a paperweight stems from his victory over Santa Anna at Buena Vista in 1847, during the Mexican War, a victory that made him president (see "Glass Paperweights of the New-York Historical Society," p. 129).

DescriptionLead glass paperweight in the form of a flattened sphere with slightly concave base; sulphide bust of Zachary Taylor on deep translucent cobalt ground.

Markingshandwritten in ink: on lower edge of sulphide: "Taylor"

ClassificationsGLASS