James Monroe

In 1820, White House incumbent James Monroe stood virtually unopposed in his bid for a second term, an expression of the so-called "Era of Good Feelings" that set in after the War of 1812 and was marked by a temporary halt in two-party factionalism.Monroe brought to his presidency a style that meshed well with this rancorless climate. When, for example, he vetoed public improvements legislation, he offered Congress suggestions for accomplishing the same end through means that circumvented his Constitution-based objections. The most enduring legacy of his administration, however, was the Monroe Doctrine, which registered opposition to European meddling in the Western Hemisphere. It ultimately became a keystone of American foreign policy.

The restrained coloring and brushwork in Monroe's portrait by John Vanderlyn testifies to the strong influence of French neoclassicism during the artist's years of study in Paris. It may also reflect Monroe's own tastes, which ran decidedly to the French as a result of his several diplomatic missions to Paris.