Portrait of a President: George Washington at 250

Over the course of his career, American artist Gilbert Stuart (1755–1828) painted many portraits of George Washington, establishing the defining presidential image of the United States’ first president. These portrait types can be divided into three versions: the “Vaughan” type, the “Athenaeum” version, and the “Lansdowne” portrait. In 1980, W&L received a copy of this latter version painted by the English-born American artist William Winstanley (active, 1775–1806). 

While primarily known as a landscape painter, Winstanley painted several copies of the Lansdowne portrait – including, scholars suspect, the Lansdowne painting that Dolley Madison saved from the burning of the White House in August 1814. Mrs. Madison’s heroic efforts to save this painting demonstrate the importance of this image for Americans and their history. 

Like many political portraits of the era, it is rife with allegorical symbols that signal Washington’s leadership of the United States. These include the rainbow, suggesting hope for the success of the new nation, and the ceremonial sword, which denotes Washington’s status as head of state. 

This year, as the United States commemorates its semiquincentennial, we reconsider this foundational figure, reflect on his importance to the country and to this university, and recognize the lasting legacies of Washington as we look towards the next 250 years of this nation. 

Since the 1980s, the Art Museum’s copy of the Lansdowne portrait of George Washington has been displayed in the University Library. The newly installed interactive display provides context to the copy of the Lansdowne painting on exhibit and is supported by the James W. and Celeste Whitehead Fund. The display is curated by Meaghan M. Walsh, the Louise C. Herreshoff Curatorial Fellow in American Art, with the assistance of Nora Kuhn ‘26. 

To learn more, visit the online exhibition: George Washington in the Museums’ Collections.