Portrait of George Washington

1779

Charles Willson Peale American, 1741-1827

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About the Artwork

Thanks to Charles Willson Peale we know what George Washington looked like. Between 1772 and 1795, Washington sat for Peale seven times. This miniature derives from a 1779 sitting in Philadelphia, after the State of Pennsylvania commissioned Peale to paint a full-length portrait of Washington as the heroic head of the Continental Army who had led his troops to crucial victories at Trenton and Princeton, New Jersey. Peale called the painting Washington at the Battle of Princeton. The subject proved very popular, so Peale was commissioned to paint several full-length replicas as well as a few miniatures.

It is thought that George Washington commissioned this miniature as a present for his younger sister Betty Washington Lewis. As in the first of the full-length versions, now at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Washington wears the blue uniform with buff facings of the general staff. The blue sash indicates his position as Commander-in-Chief.

Title Portrait of George Washington

Artwork Date 1779

Artist Charles Willson Peale

Life Dates 1741-1827

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. American

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Unknown

Medium Watercolor on ivory

Dimensions Overall: 2 × 1 5/8 × 1/8 inches (5.1 × 4.1 × 0.3 cm)

Classification Paintings

Department American Art before 1950

Credit Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley P. Sax

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 1996.256

Markings

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Provenance

1779. (possibly) Mrs. Fielding Lewis (George Washington's sister Betty Washington).(Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA).
E. Grosvenor Paine;
1996-present, gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

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Published References

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We regularly update our object record as new research and findings emerge, and we welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Charles Willson Peale, Portrait of George Washington, 1779, watercolor on ivory. Detroit Institute of Arts, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley P. Sax, 1996.256.