Lawrence Reid Yates

About this artwork

Lawrence Reid Yates (died 1796) was a New York merchant who had his portrait painted by Gilbert Stuart. Walter Robertson, who came to the United States at Stuart’s urging, often copied in miniature his mentor’s paintings, and this image of Yates is such a copy. The full-scale portrait hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, and was painted in 1793 or 1794. A miniature of Richard Yates’s wife, by an unknown artist, is also in this collection [see 1956.1.2].

Art Historical Context

Step into the refined world of late 18th-century American portraiture with *Lawrence Reid Yates*, a delicate miniature painting by Irish artist Walter Robertson, created around 1794. This bust-length likeness captures New York merchant Lawrence Reid Yatesdied 1796), prosperous life embodied the bustling commerce of post-Revolutionary America Robertson, who emigrated to the United States at the invitation of renowned portraitist Gilbert Stuart, faithfully copied Stuart's full-scale original—painted in 1793 or 1794 and now housed in the National of Art in Washington, D.C. Miniature paintings like this one were treasured keepsakes, prized for their exquisite detail and portability, often worn as jewelry or carried by travelers. Rendered in a precise, jewel-like technique typical of the genre, Robertson's version shrinks Stuart's masterful brushwork—known for its luminous skin tones and psychological depth—into an intimate format. This practice highlights the era's mentor-apprentice dynamics and the high demand for affordable replicas among the merchant elite. Happily paired in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection with a miniature of Yates's wife by an unknown artist (see 1956.1.2), it offers a poignant glimpse into family legacy and the cultural role of portraiture in early America. Acquired through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, this gem invites you to ponder the personal stories behind public success.