This miniature was painted after a bust-length portrait by Gilbert Stuart, in which Washington appears in a black jacket and white tie, his lips pursed in a serious expression. In 1845 the Charleston, South Carolina, Courier published this description of the miniature: ​“Benevolence, wisdom, and dignity are alike impressed on the venerable features; and so excellent is the likeness—so full, too of all the elements of goodness and greatness—that the beholder almost feels himself in the presence of the departed excellence.” Conservation of this miniature was made possible through a generous grant provided by the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.