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Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis (Mrs. Lawrence Lewis) by Stuart, Gilbert

Stuart, Gilbert · 1804

Gilbert Stuart painted Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis in 1804, the year she married and left Mount Vernon. She was Martha Washington's granddaughter, and when her father died, George Washington adopted her formally at age four. She grew up in the presidential household, a celebrated beauty with a famously sharp tongue the old general adored.

Stuart built his portraits around the eyes, painting them first and working outward until the full face emerged. Here that technique creates a startling psychological presence. Her eyes are lifted, her lips parted on the edge of speech, and her right hand rests against her chest in the composed gesture of a woman who learned poise in drawing rooms filled with the architects of a new nation.

The white empire-waist muslin dress dates the portrait to its exact moment in 1804, the height of Federal Neoclassicism. The warm amber backing is pure Stuart studio practice, designed to push all light onto the face. Eleanor would outlive nearly everyone in that first circle, dying at 81 at her Virginia estate, a living link to the founding that had almost vanished.

What do you think she is about to say?

Details

In his house, she was known for her fierce intelligence and her temper.
In his house, she was known for her fierce intelligence and her temper.
Look at her hand. A gesture she learned in the first family's drawing room.
Look at her hand. A gesture she learned in the first family's drawing room.
Stuart painted her eyes first, building the whole face around them.
Stuart painted her eyes first, building the whole face around them.
The diaphanous white muslin gown signals Neoclassical fashion of 1804 , the same silhouette worn by women consciously imitating ancient Greek drapery at the height of the Federal period.
The diaphanous white muslin gown signals Neoclassical fashion of 1804 , the same silhouette worn by women consciously imitating ancient Greek drapery at the height of the Federal period.
The carefully arranged coiffure , ringlets at the temples, mass pinned high , is a precise period marker and contrasts with the pale face below, framing the composition.
The carefully arranged coiffure , ringlets at the temples, mass pinned high , is a precise period marker and contrasts with the pale face below, framing the composition.
Transcript

She was raised by George Washington from the age of four. In his house, she was known for her fierce intelligence and her temper. The retired president called her 'the little wildcat' with affection. Look at her hand. A gesture she learned in the first family's drawing room. Stuart painted her eyes first, building the whole face around them. She sat for this portrait the year she married, leaving the only home she had ever known.