Mrs. Joseph Anthony Jr. (Henrietta Hillegas)
ca. 1795–98
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
30 x 23 3/8 in. (76.2 x 59.4 cm)
Classification
Painting
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1905
Accession Number
05.40.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
Gilbert Stuart's *Mrs. Joseph Anthony Jr.Henrietta Hillegas, painted around 1795–98, the elegance of an early American elite woman in oil on canvas, a medium favored for its rich depth and luminosity in portraiture. Measuring 30 x 23 3/8 inches, this intimate bust-length portrait exemplifies Stuart's mastery during the Federal period, a time when the young United States was forging its national identity post-Revolution. Henrietta Hillegas, wife of a prominent Philadelphia merchant, embodies the refined domesticity valued in the new republic. Stuart, one of America's foremost portraitists—best...
About the Artist
Gilbert Stuart
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...