Gilbert Stuart, George Washington (The Lansdowne Portrait), 1796
Objectives
Students will understand that:
Gilbert Stuart created the visual image of George Washington that most of us carry in our minds.
for many years we have considered Washington to be a hero and he was commemorated as such in a number of different ways.
although he was considered a hero he was also humble and knew when to step down from office.
Focusing Statement
Students will examine Gilbert Stuart’s Lansdowne portrait of George Washington and a variety of other images to discover which of his character traits they illustrate. Students will also read Washington’s resignation address and compare him to Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus.
Examining Expressive Content
Beyond George, what do you see?
What did Gilbert Stuart do to make Washington look important?
Notice the chair, items on and under the table, and in Washington’s hand. Each was placed in the painting to signify something about him. See if you can figure out what they represent:
Books – the titles of the two on the table are the Federalist and Journal of Congress.
Quill pen and inkwell
Sword
Chair
Notice the rainbow in the upper right corner of the painting. What might that signify?
Notice the colors Stuart chose to use. Would you describe these as “warm” or “cool”? How does his choice of colors help set the mood of the painting?
What traits and/or accomplishments of Washington’s did Stuart think were important to represent via this painting?
When you think of what George Washington looked like, where does your image come from? Gilbert Stuart created the visual image of George Washington that most of us carry in our minds.
When a likeness of George Washington comes to mind, quite often it is his image as it appears on a $1 bill and a quarter, or for some of us of a certain age, the portrait that hung next to Abraham Lincoln’s in so many schoolrooms across the nation. All were created by Gilbert Stuart and it is said that many of us only envision George Washington through Stuart’s eyes.
Gilbert Stuart first became well-known as a portrait artist during the 18 years he spent in Europe studying art. Soon after he returned to America in 1793, he decided to paint a portrait of Washington because he realized creating an image of such a popular national leader could lead to fame and fortune for the artist. Washington sat for Stuart at least four times and in addition Stuart held the copyright for all engravings made from his paintings – and there were many.
Teaching Plan
Hand out images and items for students to examine and ask them to answer the following questions. You might assign students to work in pairs with some or all of the items.
What traits of George’s does this image represent?
Which of his qualities does it illustrate?
Use these from the “Materials and Resources” list above:
Poem: The Hero
Painting: Prayer at Valley Forge
Excerpts from Washington’s Farewell Address 1796
Excerpt from Funeral Oration
Broadside: Washington County Mutual Insurance Company
Address: Birth Day of Washington
Object: Quarter and/or dollar
Songs: Sacred Dirges, Hymns, and Anthems
Painting: The Prayer at Valley Forge
Painting: The Home of Washington
Document: Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour
Image: Life of George Washington – the Farmer
Painting: Parson Weems’ Fable
Song: Yankee Doodle
Painting: George Washington at the Battle of Princeton
Object: E. Wells Tavern Sign
Excerpt from Rip Van Winkle
On Cincinnatus & resignation: Ask a student to read aloud the “Excerpts from George Washington’s Resignation Address to the Continental Congress” and then ask:
Why did Washington say that he was resigning?
What did he mean when he said that he accepted his appointment (to be the nation’s first president) with “diffidence”? How was he able to overcome that feeling?
Read aloud the following: In a conversation between King George III of England and the American-born painter Benjamin West during the Revolutionary War, the king asked him what he thought George Washington would do if America won the war. West replied that he thought Washington would retire to his farm. According to West, King George then said, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.”
Why would Washington be the “greatest man in the world”?
What is the significance of his resigning then?
For a clue as to why this would be so, you need to know about Cincinnatus. Washington liked to be compared to this early Roman. Read aloud “The Story of Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus”. Then ask again the questions above.
