"Portraits in the Collection of the American Antiquarian Society grew out of a project initiated by Georgia B. Barnhill, Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Graphic Arts at the American Antiquarian Society, to update the documentation of the Society's portrait collection reflecting its growth since 1946. This work was undertaken by Lauren B. Hewes. The collection is an eclectic one that represents many aspects of the history of the Society: the interests of benefactors who gave their collections to the Society and the impulse to commemorate the Society's leadership. A number of portraits came into the collection with or because of related manuscript or book collections or were commissioned by the Society and for these there is extraordinary information about the circumstances of their production."--BOOK JACKET.