STUART, GILBERT (1755-182S). An Ameri can portrait painter. Ile was born at Narra gansett. R. L, December 3, 1755. He painted his first portraits when thirteen, having had no in struction. In 1770 lie was taught by a Scotsman, Cosmo Alexander, who took him to England, but upon Alexander's death Stuart was forced by poverty to return to America after a year's absence. A maturing talent brought him frequent eommissions, and thus lie was enabled in 1775 to return for further study to England. In London he formed the acquaintance of Ben jamin West, who gave him instruction and a home in his own house. After much ad versity, during which lie supported himself as an organist, he attained a distinguished position. He returned to America in 1792. his impelling motive being to paint the portrait of Washing ton. He establi+dieu a studio in New York. but re moved to Philadelphia, where the first Washing ton portrait was painted in 1795; at a still later period he lived in the city of Washington, and filially in 1806 took up his permanent residence at Boston, where he died. The Stuart portraits of AN ashington, representing the subject in the later years of his life, are the most famous of both artist and sitter. The first of these, represent ing the right side of the face, the artist destroyed as unsatisfactory, though six replicas exist; after 1796 lie painted the portrait known as the 'Athemeum portrait' (Boston Nuseum), showing the left side. A full length was painted
for the Marquis of Lansdowne in 1796. Nearly forty replicas of his various Washington por traits have been traced. The Historical Societies of Boston. New York, and Philadelphia have many examples of his work, as do the Metropoli tan Museum and other American collections.
Stuart was an entirely independent master, who followed neither West nor any other model, but nature alone. Though sometimes deficient in drawing, he was a good colorist, and in his best productions deserves to rank beside Gains borough. He devoted his chief attention to the heads, which are rendered with force and truth, but rather neglected the rest of the portrait. The list of his sitters includes the first five Presi dents of the United States, Edward Everett, John Jay, Jacob Astor, Judge Story, W. E. Charming, Josiah and Edmund Quincy, 0. H. Perry, Jerome and Nine. Bonaparte. During his residence in England he painted King George III., also George IV. while Prince of Wales, Louis XVI. of France (at Paris), Mrs. Siddons, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Benjamin West, and a notable picture of "\V. Grant Skating in Saint James's Park," which made his reputation in England. Consult Mason, Life and Works of Gilbert Stuart (New York, 1879) ; Caffin, American. Masters of Painting New York, 1896).