Gilbert Stuart Oil Painting Reproductions

Gilbert Stuart's Famous Portrait Paintings

Gilbert Stuart is known for his famous George Washington portraits and other notable figures from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His famous Presidential Portraits include many of George Washington portraits. Art critics consider Gilbert Stuart paintings of American Presidents some of the most important American portrait paintings.

Presidential Portraits

Gilbert Stuart’s famous paintings of American Presidents George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe are for sale in our online catalog of oil painting reproductions.

Gilbert Stuart's ability to capture the essence of his sitters and bring their personalities into his famous presidential portraits makes his oil paintings remarkable.

Portraits of George Washington

During his artistic career, Gilbert Stuart painted over 100 portraits of George Washington, among his most celebrated oil paintings. Each portrait captures Washington’s likeness, character, and the historical significance of his presidency.

The Athenaeum Portrait of George Washington

Stuart’s iconic portrait painting, The Athenaeum Portrait of George Washington, is one of the most reproduced images in American History. Although the portrait is unfinished, it appears on the US One-Dollar Bill Note.

Even as an unfinished painting, The Athenaeum Portrait of George Washington demonstrates Gilbert Stuart’s artistic mastery. People use "Athenaeum" to recognize this painting, as it went to the Boston Athenaeum after Stuart’s death. In 1807, the founders established the Boston Athenaeum, which is one of the oldest independent American libraries.

 Gilbert Stuart The Lansdowne Portrait

The Lansdowne Portrait of George Washington is a life-size oil on canvas painting completed in 1796. George Washington was 64 years old at the time and in the final years of his Presidency. The painting was originally a gift to British Prime Minister William Petty. However, before Sotheby's offered it for sale in 2001, the Smithsonian Institute purchased it for $20 million.

Gilbert Stuart: Early Life and Influences

Gilbert Stuart, born in 1755 in Rhode Island, quickly discovered his talent and apprenticed with Scottish portrait artist Cosmo Alexander.

However, in 1777, Gilbert Stuart first exhibited at the Royal Academy in London, under Benjamin West's guidance.

The Skater, Portrait of William Grant, painted in 1782, received critical acclaim and commanded selling prices that rivaled those of famous portrait paintings by artists Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds. Both of these popular artists played an important role in shaping Gilbert’s technique and artistic style.

His Death and Legacy

The artist Gilbert Stuart died in 1828. Despite his popularity and the many commissions he received for his portrait paintings before his death, he left his family in debt and ended up buried in an unmarked grave. 

Prestigious institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Art house some of Gilbert Stuart’s most famous paintings of US Presidents.

One cannot overstate his contribution to American Art. His Presidential portraits are historical records offering insight into some of the most important figures who shaped the United States' early years.

Gilbert Stuart’s portraits of Washington offer a window to the past, capturing the spirit of the individuals who define it.  

Fine Art Reproductions of Presidential Portraits

Discover hand painted oil on canvas replica paintings of American Presidents Calvin Coolidge by Philip de Laszlo and Grover Cleveland by famous Swedish artist Anders Zorn.