Gilbert Stuart

The most successful and resourceful portraitist of America's early national period, Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828) possessed enormous natural talent, which he devoted to the representation of human likeness and character, bringing his witty and irascible manner to bear on each of his works, including his incisive portraits of George Washington. This publication accompanies a retrospective exhibition of Stuart's work, the first since 1967, and takes the standpoint that investigation of Stuart's sitters reveals the artist's practice of portraiture. His clients were facilitators of his progress, and knowledge of them is crucial to interpreting the artist's unique talents. The organization of this study follows Stuart through the eight cities in which he worked: Newport and Scotland (1755-75), London (1775-87), Dublin (1787-93), New York (1793-94), Philadelphia (1794-1803), Washington (1803-5), and Boston (1805-28). A short essay about the artist's experience in each city precedes catalogue entries on more than ninety portraits, all illustrated in color. A special section is devoted to Stuart's celebrated portraits of George Washington.