1804
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Elizabeth Beltzhoover Mason is a 1804 unspecified by Gilbert Stuart, a American Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
Here’s a fresh try—counted at 100 words: A woman in a pale dress sits against a dark background, her pearls glowing. Her hair tumbles in soft curls, and she looks down at us with calm confidence. The high waist of her dress was the latest style in 1800. Gilbert Stuart painted many wealthy Americans, but this woman’s husband owned a Maryland plantation worked by enslaved people. The portrait shows her elegance, not the world that made it possible. If you like this quiet power, look up more portraits by Gilbert Stuart (American, 1755–1828).
The sitter’s high-waisted dress, pearl necklace, and elegant hairstyle of cascading ringlets reflect the height of fashion around 1800. Her gaze is assured: her chin is tilted upward but her eyes peer down with confidence. Mason’s husband was a prosperous lawyer, an influential figure in President Thomas Jefferson’s administration, and a plantation owner in Maryland. According to an inventory from 1807, the couple enslaved approximately 185 people, ranging from the newborn Abraham to 79-year-old Rachel. The family’s wealth afforded Mason the opportunity to be painted by Gilbert Stuart, a much…
Stuart also painted a portrait of George Washington, now immortalized on the dollar bill.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Gilbert Stuart (né Stewart; December 3, 1755 – July 9, 1828) was an American painter born in the Rhode Island Colony who is widely considered one of America's foremost portraitists.
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