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Artists' Eyes on the American Revolution:

Gilbert Stuart and His Portraits of the Founding Fathers

Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828) painted scores of portraits in his lifetime, including the first five presidents from life, leaving a memorable legacy of work that influenced many generations of painters.

On July 4, 2026, America will celebrate 250 years of independence. 

This is part 1 of a 3 part series.

Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828) produced over one thousand portraits in his lifetime, working in eight cities: Newport, Rhode Island; Edinburgh; London; Dublin; New York; Philadelphia; Washington, D.C. and Boston.

Renowned for the accuracy of his facial likenesses, Stuart painted the most important Americans of his time, including presidents.

One of his portraits of George Washington, for instance, is reflected in the current one-dollar bill. A charming conversationalist, to draw out his sitters’ personality (though not every story he told was true), and sometimes, irascible, Stuart became the most preeminent art authority in America.

Presenter: Dr. Michael Norris got his BA in classics from the University of California at San Diego and his MA in classics and Ph.D. in art history at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He spent twenty years at the Cloisters Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and has lectured on trips all over the world. He lives in Teaneck, New Jersey. 

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