Selling Andrew Jackson

"An important and much needed contribution to the scholarship of early American art history, Rachel Stephens's well-researched book on the understudied artist Ralph E.W. Earl and his relationship with Andrew Jackson will become the standard text for those interested in this period."—Allison Stagg, Freie Universität Berlin

"Rachel Stephen's outstanding study of Ralph E. W. Earl as artist and image maker surely heralds a new age in the study of painting in the South. While many previous scholars have treated Earl in dismissive, antiquarian terms, Stephens has written an articulate analysis of his artistic heritage and distinct achievement. Surely this work will provide a template for future, much needed studies of painters working outside the stifling confines of the northeast corridor."—Estill Curtis Pennington, author of the forthcoming Matthew Harris Jouett (1788-1827): His Life and Works

"a fascinating examination of antebellum portraiture with a focus on stylistic influences, regional differences, and commercial strategiesStephens's thorough level of research and poignant critique of popular and scholarly misconceptions of Ralph Earl and Southern art history should not only "set the record straight," but become a turning point in the field."—Panorama

"Selling Andrew Jackson provides important insights into Earl's use of portraiture as a political strategy and how he shaped a president's public image for both contemporary audiences and posterity. Earl was the first resident White House artist, the forerunner to official White House photographers. He finally gets the attention he deserves in this book."—H-Net Reviews

"Stephens's book is an essential read for historians of the Jacksonian period to understand the centrality of image-making to the cultural politics of the period."—Winterthur Portfolio