The 100th anniversary of Ulysses S. Grant's death was observed on July 23, 1985. The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery featured an exhibit of Grant portraiture, which covered his life, from its humble beginnings to military and political triumphs and to failures and disappointment. The exhibit included pictures, artifacts, and momentos from various times in Grant's life. His military service and two terms as President were emphasized. Grant's changing features were portrayed in photographs, paintings, and engravings from different times in his life span. These portraits seem to show an impassive and lackluster man, a rather ordinary person with little hint of greatness. Yet Grant's seeming ordinariness was a mask for keen intelligence and uncommon military leadership ability. His common ways appealed to masses of common men and enabled General Ulysses S. Grant to lead them to victory in the Civil War. A chronology of main events in Grant's life appears at the end of this essay. (JP)