Gilbert Charles Stuart (born
Stewart) (December 3, 1755 – July 9, 1828) was an American
painter from
Rhode Island. Gilbert Stuart is widely considered to be one of America's foremost
portraitists. His best known work, the unfinished portrait of
George Washington that is sometimes referred to as
The Athenaeum, was begun in 1796 and left incomplete at the time of Stuart's death in 1828. The image of George Washington featured in the painting has appeared on the United States
one-dollar bill for over one
century. Throughout his career, Gilbert Stuart produced portraits of over 1,000 people, including the first six
Presidents of the United States. His work can be found today at art museums across the United States and the United Kingdom, most notably the
Metropolitan Museum of Art and
Frick Collection in
New York City, the
National Gallery of Art in
Washington, D.C., the
National Portrait Gallery in
London, and the
Museum of Fine Arts in
Boston. Gilbert Stuart was born in
Saunderstown, Rhode Island on December 3, 1755 and baptized at
Old Narragansett Church.
