Gilbert Stuart

Sarah Goodridge, Gilbert Stuart, 1825-1827, watercolor on ivory, sight 1 ⁷⁄₈ x 1 ⁵⁄₈ in. (4.8 x 4.1 cm) oval, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer, 1999.27.16

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Artwork Details

Title: Gilbert Stuart
Artist: Sarah Goodridge
Date: 1825-1827
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: sight 1 ⁷⁄₈ x 1 ⁵⁄₈ in. (4.8 x 4.1 cm) oval
Credit Line: Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Mediums: watercolor
Mediums Description: watercolor on ivory
Classifications: Painting
Miniature
Subjects: Portrait male — Stuart, Gilbert — bust
Object Number: 1999.27.16
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1999.27.16

Artwork Description

Sarah Goodridge painted this miniature at the request of Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828), who believed no one else could capture the essence of his personality. He declared it the "only true likeness" of him, and valued this work so much that he presented it to his mother, adorned with a bracelet woven from his own, and his wife's, hair. According to family letters, Stuart presented this miniature to his mother on July 21, 1827. Of the three miniatures Goodridge painted of Stuart, this was the sitter's favorite. The other two are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Conservation of this miniature was made possible through a generous grant provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.