photo #797475

Gilbert Stuart was born on December 3, 1755. Originally from Rhode Island, Stuart is best known for his portraits of the first six presidents of the United States. Perhaps his two most famous works are both of George Washington. The likeness of George Washington that appears on the one dollar bill is from Stuart's The Athenaeum, a portrait that remained unfinished throughout Stuart's life. For many years Stuart kept the original and sold dozens of reproductions of the painting. Another painting of Washington has a more direct tie to White House lore. The Landsdowne portrait - seen in this photo - was commissioned by U.S. Senator William Bingham of Pennsylvania and given to the British Prime Minister, the Marquess of Landsdowne, a supporter of American Independence. The original canvas now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, but Stuart painted a number of replicas - one of which is displayed in the East Room of the White House. On August 24, 1814, First Lady Dolley Madison ordered the portrait removed and sent off with two men from New York, Jacob Barker and Robert G.L. De Peyster, for safekeeping and to protect it from advancing British troops. You can tell the original Landsdowne from the one in the East Room from the spelling of the books at Washington's feet. The original spells "United States" correctly, whereas the erroneous one in the White House says "United Sates."