Portrait of Admiral Perry and Portrait of Military Officer Adams, from the Black Ship scroll

Photographs of Commodore Perry from around the time of this painting show him clean shaven. His so-called portrait here on the left, however, depicts him with a full beard, suggesting that the artist used his imagination to create this rendering—perhaps because Perry intentionally gave audience with only the “highest ranked functionary in the empire.” His second-in-command Henry Adams (1838–1918), who conducted the day-to-day negotiations, appears fierce, also with full beard, disheveled hair, wild eyes, large nose, and mouth agape. Both figures are portrayed with the stereotypical “red hair” of “southern barbarians” (foreigners).