Gilbert Stuart

Sarah Goodridge, Gilbert Stuart, 1825-1827, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer, 1999.27.16
Copied 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
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Gilbert Stuart
Artist
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
Mediums Description
watercolor on ivory
Classifications
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.