Alexander Hamilton 1793 - 1796

James Sharples made this portrait of Alexander Hamilton using pastels on paper. Now, pastels might seem like a delicate, almost frivolous choice, but look closer, and you’ll notice the artist’s confident, assertive strokes. Sharples wasn't just sketching; he was building up layers of pigment, almost like a sculptor working with clay. The material itself, ground pigments mixed with a binder, allowed for a directness and immediacy that oil paint, with its lengthy drying time, couldn't offer. This suited the pace of a new republic, where time was money and image was everything. Consider the social context here. Hamilton, the quintessential self-made man, needed a portrait that projected authority and intelligence. Sharples, with his mastery of a relatively quick and accessible medium, helped to craft that image. The apparent simplicity of pastels belies the skill involved, and it's in that tension that we see the true artistry, bridging the gap between craft and fine art.