Here is a comparison of the 1800 Rembrandt Peale painting and the 2006 United States nickel. (Here’s a slightly different animation of it with the coin at a lighter opacity: animation 2)
Animation of Rembrandt Peale/Thomas Jefferson nickel
Happening right now on Spudart: Press a leaf in an envelope with the date and story written on it until 2026-10-31
The nickel isn’t nearly as complimentary as the painting: Jefferson loses his cheekbones, his eyebrow is lower [suggesting aging”> and his chin isn’t as prominent
The new nickel comes out today! January 12, 2006 cnn article. Thanks to Tom for forwarding that article to me!
the cheekbone interpretation on the nickel is very disappointing. He looks older and fatter as a result. The lack of the arced eyebrow and smirk in his smile causes the new portrait to lose the maverick sensibility we all know jefferson to have.