Horace Binney

Gilbert Stuart painted this oil-on-wood portrait of Horace Binney in 1800. The work was commissioned by Binney himself as a gift for his sister, Susan Binney Wallace (1778–1849), of Philadelphia. It subsequently passed to her son, John William Wallace (1815–1884), who returned it to his uncle, the sitter.

After Horace Binney's death, the painting went to his daughter, Susan Binney (1822–1887), of Philadelphia, and then to her nephew, the Reverend John Binney (1844–1913), of Middletown, Connecticut. The Reverend's son, Dr. Horace Binney (1874–1956), of Milton, Massachusetts, later held the portrait. Dr. Binney donated it to the National Gallery of Art in 1944, where it has remained in the collection.

The portrait has been in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., since 1944, when it was given by Dr. Horace Binney of Milton, Massachusetts. The chain of ownership preceding the gift traces from the sitter Horace Binney through his sister Susan Wallace, her son John William Wallace, Binney's daughter Susan Binney, her nephew the Reverend John Binney of Middletown, Connecticut, and finally his son Dr. Horace Binney. The 1947 curatorial correspondence from Dr. Binney and the Binney family genealogy of 1886 document the successive transfers among family members. No prior exhibition history is recorded in the available documentation.

The 1800 portrait of Horace Binney by Gilbert Stuart entered the National Gallery of Art in 1944 through a gift from Dr. Horace Binney, preserving the family's lineage of ownership documented from his sister’s commission. As part of the museum’s American portrait holdings, the work exemplifies Stuart’s early federal style and contributes to the scholarly understanding of early American portraiture, reinforcing the sitter’s legacy within the nation’s visual heritage. Its inclusion in the Gallery’s collection underscores the continued recognition of Binney as a notable figure of the period, and the painting remains a reference point for studies of early United States political and social elites.

This oil painting by Gilbert Stuart, completed in 1800, presents a formal portrait of Horace Binney. The subject is depicted seated, engaging the viewer with a direct gaze. Executed on a wood panel, the work exemplifies Stuart's approach to capturing individual likenesses during the early American republic.

The artwork focuses on Horace Binney, a prominent figure whose identity is central to the piece. Stuart renders Binney in period attire, seated and looking directly forward. This direct presentation emphasizes the individual's presence and character, a common feature in portraits intended to convey a person's public image or private essence.