Object Details
Artist
Unidentified Artist
Copy after
Gilbert Stuart, 3 Dec 1755 - 9 Jul 1828
Sitter
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, 2 Jun 1731 - 22 May 1802
Exhibition Label
Born Chestnut Grove, Virginia
First Lady 1789–1797
Martha Dandridge Custis married George Washington in 1759, shortly after the death of her first husband, Daniel Park Custis. At twenty-seven, she had two young children in tow and had amassed tremendous wealth. Owning more than seventeen thousand acres of land, she and her family relied on a large, enslaved workforce, which at one point included her half-sister, Ann Dandridge.
George Washington served as a general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War (1775–83), and the couple often stayed together in the winter encampments. In the years that followed the war, Martha Washington left her pleasant life at their Mount Vernon plantation to support her husband while he served as president.
Gilbert Stuart painted Martha Washington from life in 1796, when the presidential couple was living in Philadelphia, which was then the nation’s capital. This painting is a copy based on Stuart’s original study, the “Athenaeum” portrait.
Nacida en Chestnut Grove, Virginia
Primera dama 1789–1797
Martha Dandridge Custis se casó con George Washington en 1759, poco después de morir su primer marido, Daniel Park Custis. A la edad de 27 años, tenía dos hijos pequeños y había amasado una gran fortuna. Dueños de más de 17,000 acres de tierra, ella y su familia mantenían una numerosa fuerza laboral esclava, incluida en un momento su media hermana, Ann Dandridge.
George Washington fue general del Ejército Continental durante la Guerra de Independencia de EE.UU. (1775–83), y su esposa solía acompañarlo en los campamentos durante el invierno. Tras la guerra, Martha Washington abandonó su vida placentera en la plantación de Mount Vernon para apoyar a su marido en sus funciones de presidente.
Gilbert Stuart pintó a Martha Washington del natural en 1796, cuando ella y el presidente vivían en Filadelfia, entonces capital de la nación. Esta pintura es una copia basada en la original de Stuart, conocida como “retrato del Ateneo”.
Provenance
(Edward Speelman, London); purchased 1970 by NPG.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Date
early-mid 19th century
Object number
NPG.70.3
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Stretcher: 76.2 × 64.8 × 1.6 cm (30 × 25 1/2 × 5/8")
Frame: 92.1 × 79.7 × 8.9 cm (36 1/4 × 31 3/8 × 3 1/2")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location
Currently not on view
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Costume\Headgear\Hat\Bonnet
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington: Female
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington: Politics and Government\First Lady\First Lady of US
Portrait
Link to Original Record
Record ID
npg_NPG.70.3