Major-General Henry Dearborn
1812
Medium
Oil on mahogany panel
Dimensions
71.5 × 57.1 cm (28 3/16 × 22 1/2 in.)
Classification
painting
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
69619
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Gilbert Stuart’s idealized portrayal of Major-General Henry Dearborn presents an aging, yet robust military leader invigorated by power and the challenge of the War of 1812. A Revolutionary War hero who served as secretary of war during Thomas Jefferson’s two presidential terms (1801–09), Dearborn continued his service as senior major-general in the 1812 campaign. This work is one of several likenesses Stuart executed of American military and political men, among them his well-known depictions ...
About the Artist
Gilbert Stuart · 1755–1828
Gilbert Stuart (1755–1828) was born on December 3, 1755, in Saunderstown, Rhode Island. He received his first painting instruction from local portraitist Samuel King, then studied under Scottish artist Cosmo Alexander who brought him to Scotland in 1771. After Alexander died, Stuart returned to Newport before sailing to London in 1775, where he entered the studio of Benjamin West for approximately...