STUART, GILBERT (1755-1828), American artist, was born at North Kingstown (R.I.) on Dec. 3, 1755. He studied at Newport (R.I.) with Cosmo Alexander, and went with him to Scotland, but returned to America after Alexander's death, and obtained many portrait commissions. In 1775 he went to Eng land, and became a pupil of Benjamin West in 1778. His work, however, shows none of the influence of West, and after four years Stuart set up a studio for himself in London. He painted George III. and the future George IV., and in Paris he painted Louis XVI., and his success was no less great in Ireland. After five years he left Ireland for his native land in order to paint Gen. Washington, who was said to be the only person in whose pres ence Stuart found himself embarrassed. His first portrait Stuart felt was a failure ; but Washington sat to him again, the result being the "Athenaeum" head on an unfinished canvas, showing the left side of the face. This remains the accepted likeness of Wash
ington, of whom he also painted a full-length for Lord Lans downe; of each of these portraits he executed many replicas. Among his portraits are those of Presidents Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe and John Quincy Adams, and John Jay, Governor Winthrop, Generals Gates and Knox, Bishop White, Chief Justice Shippen, John Sin gleton Copley, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Benjamin West, Lords Clin ton, Lyndhurst, and Inchiquin, Sir Edward Thornton, Mme. Pat terson-Bonaparte and Horace Binney. Stuart's original colouring and technique, and his insight into character, make him not only one of the few great American artists, but one of the greatest portrait-painters of his time. He settled at Boston in 1805, and died there on July 9, 1828.
See George C. Mason, Life and Works of Gilbert Stuart (1879).