Did You Know...

Portrait of Chief Justice John Marshall

John Marshall sat for several artists during his lifetime, but this monumental “porthole” portrait by Rembrandt Peale (1778–1860) may be the most idealized portrayal of the great Chief Justice. Peale later recalled that he painted Marshall’s portrait when the Chief Justice “was in perfect and vigorous health, living on Capitol Hill and walking to and from my Painting Room on Penn. Ave.” The porthole is decorated with olive and palm leaves, symbols of peace and achievement, and Marshall’s robe is draped across the bottom of the opening to emphasize his role as a judge. In the keystone, Solon, the famous Greek lawgiver is highlighted and across the bottom Peale has painted, as if chiseled in stone, “FIAT JUSTITIA,” Latin for “Let there be Justice.”