Mark Twain (1908)
Born Samuel Clemens in Florida, Missouri, Mark Twain is now known as one of the most celebrated American writers. He is best known for writing “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” and “The Prince and the Pauper.” His books are satirical works about the hypocrisies of the social mores of the period. Laure Trombley called him “America’s first celebrity.” The Los Angeles Times described this portrait of him like this: “In the rare color photograph above of the author – a chromograph, actually – taken at the end of 1908, he is said to have put on a red dressing gown at the request of photographer Alvin Langdon Coburn, whose new color process wouldn’t pop much if he was only wearing his classic white suit.”
Mark Twain (1908)
President Martin Van Buren (c. 1852)
Martin Van Buren became the eighth President of the United States. He was the first one to be born not a British citizen but an American. The Miller Center said that his time in office had been divided, with scholars saying that “between Van Buren’s presidency, which they often judge lacking and troubled, and his contributions to the development of the American political system, which they find singular and significant.” There are clearer photos of him available, but we picked this for its story. The Smithsonian said, “By one account, Van Buren kept his portrait appointment with Brady even though a terrible storm was raging. When Brady asked the former president why he had braved such weather to come to the gallery, Van Buren declared that he never broke an engagement if it were at all possible to keep it.”
President Martin Van Buren (c. 1852)
