Robert Morris portrait proof by Charles Schlecht
This portrait is a 19th-century engraving of Robert Morris (1734–1806), a pivotal Founding Father known as the “Financier of the American Revolution”. The image is a detailed die proof printed on India paper mounted on card, likely based on a famous portrait by artist Robert Edge Pine and later engraved by prominent 19th-century engravers like Charles Schlecht. It depicts Morris in a formal, period-appropriate high-collared coat and cravat, framed by a decorative oval wreath of laurel and floral motifs. This specific format—a die proof on India on card—represents a high-quality pre-production state of the engraving, often used by the Treasury. Morris himself is remembered for his critical role in managing the young nation’s economy, serving as the Superintendent of Finance and signing the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution. Born in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1843, Charles Schlecht came to New York City in 1852. In 1859 the young Schlecht was apprenticed as an engraver at the American Bank Note Company under Charles Burt and the banknote engraver Alfred Jones. Schlecht also specialized in the engraving of banknotes.