ticketsMember | Make a donation

Washington Allston

ca. 1819–20
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 774
Washington Allston's disembodied face, floating in the center of the canvas, shows that the power in Stuart's portraits resides in the heads. Stuart put his effort into technical and intellectual engagement with his sitters, and the result of this interaction, without exception, appears in the faces. In this portrait of his friend the painter Allston (1779–1843), Stuart's passion is unmitigated: there is nothing mundane to temper the intensity of the floating face. As Allston's brother-in-law, the novelist Richard Henry Dana, put it: "It is a mere head, but such a head! And so like the man!"

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title:
    Washington Allston
  • Artist:
    Gilbert Stuart (American, North Kingston, Rhode Island 1755–1828 Boston, Massachusetts)
  • Date:
    ca. 1819–20
  • Culture:
    American
  • Medium:
    Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions:
    24 x 21 1/2 in. (61 x 54.6 cm)
  • Credit Line:
    The Alfred N. Punnett Endowment Fund, 1928
  • Object Number:
    28.118
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Plaque of George Washington
After Gilbert Stuart (American, North Kingston, Rhode Island 1755–1828 Boston, Massachusetts)
1776–1830
Thomas Smith
Gilbert Stuart (American, North Kingston, Rhode Island 1755–1828 Boston, Massachusetts)
1785–87
George Washington, from Stuart's Celebrated Painting in the Boston Athenaeum
After Gilbert Stuart (American, North Kingston, Rhode Island 1755–1828 Boston, Massachusetts)
1863
John Quincy Adams, Sixth President of the United States
After Gilbert Stuart (American, North Kingston, Rhode Island 1755–1828 Boston, Massachusetts)
1834–40
James DeLancey
Gilbert Stuart (American, North Kingston, Rhode Island 1755–1828 Boston, Massachusetts)
ca. 1785

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback