Gilbert Stuart, American (1755-1828)
Mrs Nathaniel Coffin
(Eleanor Foster, 1744-1825) c. 1820
Oil on Panel
Gift of Harriot Hopkinson Rive and Museum purchase with funds from the Gilbert Stuart Society and individual contributors.

Gilbert Stuart was born December 3, 1755, in the township of North Kingston, Rhode Island. After moving to Newport, RI in 1761, Stuart began studying painting. In 1775 he left for London where he embarked on a career as an artist. Stuart enjoyed considerable success as an artist overseas, returning to the United States in 1792. Before his death in 1828, Stuart painted portraits of some of America’s most important revolutionary figures, including the image of George Washington used on the one dollar bill.