Portrait, The Custis Children, Matthew Pratt, c. 1773

Children of Martha Washington

This portrait is believed to depict John Parke and Martha Parke Custis, the surviving children of Martha Washington and her first husband, Daniel Parke Custis. Although George and Martha Washington were never able to have children of their own, George treated Jacky and Patsy as his own children. The artist of this portrait is unknown but believed to have been Matthew Pratt (image courtesy of Virginia Historical Society).

Unidentified, believed to be Matthew Pratt

Virginia Historical Society

1773

painting, oil on canvas

eng

Print, Washington and Wife Visiting the Troops at Valley Forge, on Christmas Day 1777

Nineteenth century images of Martha Washington

"Black and white print depicting George and Martha Washington standing in snow near a camp fire surrounded by soldiers in dress uniform. Wounded soldiers appear at left. Troops in background stand at attention with raised bayonets behind an American flag."

Description from National Museum of American History 

Breuker & Kessler

Breuker & Kessler

1871-00-00

print

eng

Portrait of Martha Washington, by John Trumbull, 1795

Portraits of Martha Washington

This miniature cabinet portrait of Martha Washington (accompanied by a similar miniature of George Washington) was painted by John Trumbull in 1795.

John Trumbull

Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History

1795-00-00

painting

eng

Cartoon, Mrs. General Washington Bestowing Thirteen Stripes on Britania [sic]

Images of Martha Washington

"In this cartoon, “Mrs. General Washington” embodies America. She holds a thirteen-strand whip above her head, with which she is about to strike Britannia, the personification of the British Empire. The thirteen strands allude to the thirteen stripes on the American flag, which denote the original American colonies. Behind Mrs. Washington stand three male figures representing the Netherlands, France, and Spain. Each one utters words of encouragement, as Mrs. Washington berates Britannia: “Parents Should not behave like Tyrants to their Children,” to which Britannia responds: “Is it thus my Children treat me.”

This cartoon was published in The Rambler’s Magazine, a monthly periodical published in London starting in January 1783. The journal’s full title was The Rambler’s Magazine; or, The annals of gallantry, glee, pleasure, and the bon ton; calculated for the entertainment of the polite world; and to furnish the man of pleasure with a most delicious banquet of amorous, Bacchanalian, whimsical, humorous, theatrical and polite entertainment."

Description from nypl.org

Anonymous

1783-04-01

Etching and engraving

eng

Mezzotint, Martha Washington and George Washington

Portraits of George and Martha Washington

This rare mezzotint is attributed to Major Joseph Hiller, Sr., a Massachusetts engraver and silversmith. It was produced around 1777 and is believed to be based on portraits of George and Martha by Charles Willson Peale that were painted in 1776 for John Hancock. Peale’s original portrait of Martha has been lost, but this engraving from it might provide an idea of what Martha looked like during the Revolution (image courtesy of the New York Public Library, C.W. McAlpin Collection).

Joseph Hiller, Sr., after Charles Willson Peale

New York Public Library, C.W. McAlpin Collection

1777

mezzotint

eng

Portraits of George and Martha Washington

"George and Martha Washington: Portraits from the Presidential Years" was an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, in 1999. This catalog was published concurrently.

Ellen G. Miles

Edmund S. Morgan

Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery, in association with the University Press of Virginia

1999

book

eng

Gender in Early America

Carol Berkin

Hill and Wang

1996

book

eng

Martha Washington

The published papers of Martha Washington.

Martha Washington

Joseph E. Fields, ed.

Greenwood Press

1994

published primary source

eng

Gender in the American Revolution

In this book, Linda Kerber fully explicated the concept of what she called "Republican Motherhood," which has become one of the most influential analytical lenses through which historians study gender in early America. Kerber conceived Republican Motherhood as a mechanism through which women in revolutionary America bridged the gap between their traditional private domestic sphere and the traditionally male public polity. Partly through revolution and partly through their own efforts, women found a new role for themselves as guardians of republican virtue.

The extent to which this role transformed the place of women in the polity was, however, uncertain, Kerber argues. Even after the wrench of revolution, she writes, "the image of the Republican Mother could be used to mask women's true place in the polis: they were still on its edges" (12).

Linda K. Kerber

Norton

1986

book

eng

Gender in Early America

Linda L. Sturtz

Routledge

2002

book

eng