George Washington, 1859

Details

Rembrandt Peale (1778-1860)
George Washington, 1859
signed Rembrandt Peale lower left; inscribed (later tracing of original) on reverse Painted by Rembrandt Peale/ in 1859/ from his Original portrait/ of 1795
oil on canvas
35 ¾ x 29 in.

Provenance

Kennedy Gallery, New York, 1964

Lot Essay

George Washington sat for Rembrandt Peale three times in the autumn of 1795, sessions arranged by the young artist’s famous father, Charles Willson Peale. By the 1840s, Rembrandt began to paint "porthole" portraits of George Washington after his from-life portraits of the President, using them as a source of income and a way to solidify his artistic reputation.

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