Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Portrait |
Title |
General William Preston |
Catalog Number |
1980.18 |
Creator |
Marschall, Nicola |
Maker |
Marschall, Nicola |
Date |
1897 |
Material(s) |
Paint/Canvas |
Dimensions |
H-41.813 W-36.75 D-2.625 inches |
Description |
This is a bust portrait of Genearl William Preston. He is wearing a Confederate general's uniform. He has a high forehead and graying hair and mustache. He has three gold stars on each side of his collar. His uniform jacket is double-breasted and has gold buttons. |
Notes |
This is a portrait of William Preston III (1816-1887). Born in Louisville to William and Caroline Hancock Preston, Preston attended Yale and Harvard and practiced law in Louisville. He married Margaret Wickliffe, the daughter of Kentucky's largest enslaver, in 1840. The couple made their home in Louisville and Lexington and had six surviving children: Mary, Caroline, Margaret, Robert "Wick", Susan, and Jessie. Preston served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the 4th Kentucky Volunteers in the Mexican-American War. Preston was then a delegate to the Kentucky constitutional convention in 1849, and served in the Kentucky legislature. Elected as a Whig to serve in Congress, Preston was a representative in Washington until his defeat in 1854. President James Buchanan appointed Preston as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Spain, also known as a minister, in 1858. Preston served from March 12, 1859 through May 24, 1861. His main goal was to acquire Cuba. A rank below an ambassador, an envoy was a diplomat of the second class with plenipotentiary powers, also known as full authority to represent the government. Envoys did not, however, serve as the personal representative of their country's head of state. Until the first decades of the 20th century, most diplomatic missions from the United States were legations headed by diplomats of the envoy rank. Preston resigned his role as envoy at the outbreak of the American Civil War to join the Confederate Army. He rose to the final rank of Major General. In 1864, he was appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary from the Confederacy to Maximilian, Emperor of Mexico in 1864, though Mexico never recognized the Confederacy After the war, Preston returned to service in the Kentucky House of Representatives. The portrait was painted posthumously. The uniform is similar to an earlier photograph of Preston, but here Preston is portrayed as much older. It is possible that Marschall was painting from a reunion-era image. The artist, Nicola Marschall (1829-1917), was born in Prussia and immigrated to Alabama in 1849. He moved to Louisville in 1873 and opened a portrait studio. Marschall was a prolific painter, often traveling to Versailles, Lexington and the south. The donor, William F. Draper, inherited the portrait from his aunt, Princess Margaret Preston Draper Boncompagni. Margaret was the granddaughter of William Preston through her mother, Susan Preston Draper. |
Collection |
William F. Draper Collection |
Event |
American Civil War |
People |
Marschall, Nicola, 1829-1917 Preston, William Campbell, 1816-1887 |
Subjects |
Soldiers Generals War Military officers Military personnel |
Search Terms |
Civil War American Civil War Confederacy Confederate Confederate Army Confederate soldiers Confederate States of America |
Physical Holder |
Kentucky Historical Society - KHS |