_George Washington_ by Gilbert Stuart

Collection ID: ART.001311.2
Type: Art
Date: 1800
Geography: United States
Language: N/A
Medium: Engraving
Dimensions: 23.5 × 15.75 in (59.7 × 40cm)
Exhibit Location: On View in the Bowden Gallery of Biblical Art, Impact of the Bible in the World

This print is based on the famous “Lansdowne” portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart. As Washington sat for Stuart, he was struggling with a disagreeing cabinet and elements of the press that depicted him as a despotic monarch. Stuart chose to counter that view by depicting Washington as an aristocratic leader surrounded by symbolic references to peace, prosperity, and the Roman Republic. This portrayal helped to further the public’s opinion of Washington as a new Cincinnatus, the Roman citizen soldier who laid down his arms after establishing peace.

Printed in 1800. Acquired by 2019 by Ted Steinbock, private collector, Louisville, Kentucky; Privately purchased in 2020 by Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.