Daniel Webster Addressing the Senate, 1850.
One of the most remarkable debates ever staged in Congress occurred in March 1850
over the slavery question. This was the last joint appearance on the public stage of that
great triumvirate, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and John C. Calhoun. Webster advocated compromise to save the Union, and his plea for moderation was heeded.
In this extraordinary picture, it is possible to identify each member because the artist used photographs to create an exact likeness. Webster is standing. To his left (front
row, bottom right) is Stephen A. Douglas. Clay is directly behind Webster’s uplifted
hand, almost seeming to stare at the back of it. Calhoun is directly behind the fourth
member (front row, left to right), and beside him, to his right, is Jefferson Davis. (Courtesy of the Library of Congress.)