A Very Early Signed and Inscribed Engraved Portrait of One of the Giants of the 19th Century, Daniel Webster

After two terms in the House of Representatives, Webster became a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts and served until 1841. He became nationally famous in 1830 for his thundering defense of the Union in his replies to South Carolina Sen. Robert Hayne during the first states’ rights controversy, and was the acknowledged leader of the North during the Nullification Crisis that followed. He returned to the U.S. Senate from 1845 to 1850.

Webster served as Secretary of State to Presidents William Henry Harrison and John Tyler. In this post, his major task was to resolve a number of longstanding disputes with Great Britain that might have flared up into war. He helped achieve the landmark Anglo-American Webster-Ashburton Treaty in 1842 that settled the Maine boundary, increased U.S. involvement in suppressing the African slave trade, and included an extradition clause that would become a model for future treaties. The agreement also ushered in an era of rapprochement between the two nations, allowing the U.S. government to focus on westward expansion.

Webster extended diplomatic protection to U.S. missionaries abroad, and sent the first U.S. mission to China. He resigned from the Secretaryship in 1843 due to a disagreement with President Tyler over the annexation of Texas, a move stridently opposed by Webster. Webster returned to the Senate and was the primary Northern voice calling for passage of the Compromise of 1850 despite its containing a Fugitive Slave Law.

Engraved portrait signed and Inscribed, approximately April 1847, as Senator. “To Mrs. Johnston from her constant and sincere friend, Daniel Webster.” Approximately 4 1/2×3 1/2 inches (image), approximately 9×6 inches overall; a small tear in the middle with no loss and not affecting any handwriting. The image is taken from a daguerreotype by MP Simons and engraved by noted engraver and publisher, John Sartain.