George Washington

c. 1803

Gilbert Stuart

Associated Names
Gilbert Stuart

Painter, American, 1755 - 1828

This painting is a portrait of a man from his chest up. He is positioned slightly angled to the left and looks directly at us. His skin is pale, and he has rosy cheeks, deep-set, dark eyes, a long, straight nose, and thin lips set in a neutral expression. His hair is light gray, combed back from his face and curled above his ears. He is wearing a black coat over a white, high-collared shirt and a white lace cravat. The background is dark brown.

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Purchased c. 1803 from the artist by Col. John Tayloe III [1771-1828], Mount Airy, Richmond County, Virginia; by descent to his son, Benjamin Ogle Tayloe [1796-1868]; by descent to his first wife, Phebe Warren Tayloe; gift 1884 to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington; acquired 2014 by the National Gallery of Art.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1932

  • George Washington Bicentennial Historical Loan Exhibition of Portraits of George Washington and His Associates; also a Collection of Washingtoniana, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 1932, no. 9.

1956

  • Mozart and the Age of Reason, Nelson Atkins Gallery, Kansas City, 15 January - February 1956, no catalogue.

1964

  • Loan to private residence, Lansdell K. Christie, Long Island, 6 April 1964- 1 April 1966.

1966

  • Past and Present: 250 Years of American Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 15 April - 30 September 1966, unpublished checklist.

1972

  • The Great Game of Politics, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 7 October - 5 November 1972, unpublished checklist.

1999

  • George Washington: The Man Behind the Myths, Virginia Historical Society, Richmond; Tennessee State Museum, Nashville; Washington State Historical Society, Tacoma, 1999-2000, no checklist.

2004

  • Gilbert Stuart, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2004-2005, no. 42.

2005

  • Encouraging American Genius: Master Paintings from the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, NY; Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte; John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, 2005-2007, checklist no. 5.

2008

  • The American Evolution: A History through Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washingtonn, 1 March - 27 July 2008, unpublished checklist.

2009

  • American Paintings from the Collection, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 6 June-18 October 2009, unpublished checklist.

2013

  • American Journeys: Visions of Place, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 21 September 2013-28 September 2014, unpublished checklist.

Bibliography

2011

  • Miles, Ellen G. "Gilbert Stuart, George Washington." In Corcoran Gallery of Art: American Paintings to 1945. Edited by Sarah Cash. Washington, 2011: 58-59, 255, repro.

Wikidata ID

Q46626299

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