Miniature Portrait, Martha Washington

Portraits

This watercolor miniature of Martha Washington was executed by James Peale near the end of Martha’s time as First Lady. She is portrayed at sixty-five, and her lively expression gives the portrait a lifelike characteristic. The reverse side of the portrait’s gold mounting contains a lock of Martha’s hair (image courtesy of Mount Vernon Ladies' Association).

James Peale

1796

portrait miniature, watercolor on ivory

eng

W-624

Miniature portrait, George Washington, by Charles Willson Peale (watercolor on ivory, 1776)

Portraits

After painting miniatures of Martha Washington and her children four years earlier, Charles Willson Peale was commissioned by Martha to portray her husband in a miniature. George was at the front and thus could not sit for the portrait, so Peale modeled it after an earlier full-size portrait of Washington that he had executed. The miniature portrays Washington in his military uniform as commander of the Continental Army (image courtesy of Mount Vernon Ladies' Association).

Charles Willson Peale

1776

portrait miniature, watercolor on ivory

eng

W-460

Miniature portrait, Martha Parke Custis, 1772, by Charles Willson Peale (watercolor on ivory, 1772)

Portraits

Martha Washington’s daughter Patsy was sixteen when this miniature portrait was painted by Charles Willson Peale. Patsy suffered from what was probably epilepsy, and a year after this portrait was executed would die as the result of a seizure (image courtesy of Mount Vernon Ladies' Association).

Charles Willson Peale

1772

portrait miniature, watercolor on ivory

eng

W-2355 A

Miniature portrait, Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, by Charles Willson Peale (watercolor on ivory, 1772)

Portraits

This miniature portrait, painted in 1772 by Charles Willson Peale, is the earliest depiction of Martha after her marriage to George Washington and is a rare depiction painted before Washington’s presidential years. She is 41 years old at the time (image courtesy of Mount Vernon Ladies' Association).

Charles Willson Peale

1776

portrait miniature, watercolor on ivory

eng

W-2102 A

Miniature portrait, John Parke Custis, by Charles Willson Peale (watercolor on ivory, 1772)

Portraits

This miniature portrait of John Parke (Jacky) Custis was executed by Charles Willson Peale. Jacky brought the painter with him to Mount Vernon when returning home from his studies in Annapolis. Jacky was eighteen when this portrait was painted. Peale also completed miniatures at this time of Jacky’s sister Martha Parke (Patsy) Custis, Martha Washington, and of George Washington (Courtesy of an anonymous lender. Image courtesy of Mount Vernon Ladies' Association).

Charles WIllson Peale

1772

portrait miniature, watercolor on ivory

eng

W-2355 B

Benjamin Henry Latrobe, The Washington family on the terrace at Mount Vernon

family life

Soon after his arrival in America in 1796, Benjamin Henry Latrobe became friends with Bushrod Washington, nephew of George Washington. At Bushrod’s invitation, Latrobe visited Mount Vernon during his time in Virginia. This watercolor depicts a scene from that visit, with the Washington family sitting at their ease on the east-facing Terrace at Mount Vernon (Courtesy of Louise and Brad Mentzer. Image courtesy of Mount Vernon' Ladies Association).

Benjamin Latrobe

eng

Edward Savage, West Front of Mount Vernon, c. 1796

This iconic view of the west front of Mount Vernon is the earliest known pictorial representation of the house and grounds. There is a similar painting of the east front. This view is particularly interesting for its portrayal of domesticity. In the foreground George and Martha Washington walk alongside Nelly Custis. Another of Martha’s grandchildren, George Washington Parke Custis, is nearby, standing alongside a pair of hounds. Washington’s slaves and guests also populate the scene (image courtesy of Mount Vernon Ladies' Association).

Edward Savage

1796

eng

Benjamin Henry Latrobe, An Overseer Doing His Duty, pen, ink and watercolor sketch

Images of slavery

Benjamin Henry Latrobe was most famous as an architect, especially for his design for the new U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. He was also an accomplished artist. Soon after arriving in the U.S. from his native Britain in 1796, Latrobe spent several years in Virginia. This watercolor depicting slaves working under the eye of an overseer was “sketched from life near Fredericksburg, 13 March 1798” (image courtesy of the Maryland Historical Society).

Benjamin Henry Latrobe

1798

eng

1960-108-1-3-21

Daniel Huntington, Lady Washington's Reception (Republican Court), 1861, oil on canvas

Martha Washington as first lady

This 1861 painting by noted American portraitist Daniel Huntington was titled The Republican Court. (When it was published as a mass-marketed engraving, the title was changed to Lady Washingtonn’s Reception.) The painting is an idealized portrayal of the weekly gatherings hosted by Martha Washington during the years of George Washington’s presidency (image courtesy Brooklyn Museum of Art).

Daniel Huntington

1861

Brooklyn Museum of Art

eng