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us
33A
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»ai!Kiffliai|[|piH
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fir?*- s> P. tLvcsy .
Two hundred copies printed from type, August, 1900.
Snt+.cC S&l 0&~*a. Jt£»\
SOME ACCOUNT OP THE
"GIBBS-CHANNING" PORTRAIT
OF GEORGE WASHINGTON
ome Account of the
"Gibbs-Channing"
Portrait of George
-Washington i&k imz 33bk
2&K 3&K Painted by Gilbert Stuart
Privately Printed
New York . 1900
<U€ VS"7/. 3 3
Harvard Cni!< ts Library
Norton C-reciion,
Dec. 3, i^'i"/.
JI3J0E the portrait of Washing-
ton, by Gilbert Stuart, known
as the "Gibbs-Channing " por-
trait, passed into the possession
of the present owner, he has
often been requested to loan it for various pub-
lic exhibitions, to allow it to be reproduced in
different forms, and as often has been solicited
to furnish information as to its history. The
general recognition that this pictorial rendering
of the "Father of his Country" is the most
worthy of the many likenesses made of him,
also that it is a supreme work of art by our
greatest portrait painter, which for perfection of
execution and immaculate condition stands pre-
eminent, fully* justifies the following presenta-
tion of facts relating to its history and record-
4
The " Gibbs-Channing" Washington
ing some of the critical praise which has been
freely bestowed upon it
It may be in order to first give the following
letter from Dr. William F. Channing, from
whom Mr. 8. P. Avery, of New York, pur-
chased the painting in 1889.
Dear Sir: You have requested me to furnish you with the
record of the "Gibbs" Washington, derived from the publica-
tions relating to it, from my own researches, and from family
tradition.
The " Gibbs " Washington is the representative picture of
Washington's first sitting to Stuart, in September, 1795. This
sitting originated the first type of the Washington portrait by
Stuart, showing the right side of Washington's face. The
Vaughan picture (painted for Samuel Vaughan, 1 sent to London,
engraved by Holloway, and published there in 1796) and three
other copies which exist, belonging to this type, were all painted,
though perhaps not finished, in the latter part of 1795 or early
part of 1796. All are very inferior to the " Gibbs " Washing-
ton in individuality of handling and detail. The "Gibbs"
Washington was sold by Stuart, at an early date, to his warm
personal friend, Colonel George Gibbs (died 1833) of New York,
with the statement that it was on the easel while Washington
was sitting, and worked upon from life. At a later period
Colonel Gibbs, having purchased from Stuart a set of his Presi-
dents of the United States, sold the Gibbs picture to his
sister, Mrs. William Ellery Channing, who gave it, thirty
1 Samuel Vaughan was a London merchant, resident for several years in
Philadelphia, and a great admirer of Washington. He is the Mr. Vaughan
who presented him with the handsomely carved mantel for Mount Vernon,
which Washington termed in his diary— "My marble chimney piece." Mr.
Vaughan took or sent the picture to London in the year in which it was
painted, and was there engraved by T. Holloway, and there published in 1796.
5
tfMHHUBMMftMA^^J
The " Gibbs- Charming" Washington
years ago, to her son Dr. William F. Charming, the present
owner and writer of this letter. The "Gibbs" Washington
has thus never been out of the possession of the Gibbs-Chan-
ning family since it left Stuart's hands.
The original picture, resulting from Washington's second
sitting, April, 1796, is the "Athenaeum" head, now in the
Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Stuart retained this picture
in his own possession, and, as he did not want the Gibbs
picture to come in competition with the head, which he had
selected to multiply in future years by numerous copies, what
more probable disposition could be made of it than to sell it
to his cherished friend, in whose discretion he could trust ?
From all the circumstances, and from the internal evidence of
the picture itself, my own conviction, shared by many artists,
has increased that the Gibbs picture is (in the most restricted
sense) the original of Washington's first sitting to Stuart.
The picture has been engraved for Elizabeth B. Johnston's
work, "The Original Portraits of Washington," 1882, in which
she praises it highly, adding, " It is a pity, and a marvel, that
it has not been more widely known."
Mr. George G. Mason, in his " Illustrated Life and Works of
Gilbert Stuart," 1879, furnishes a fine photogravure of the
picture as a frontispiece of the volume, and also an excellent
line-engraving, by Charles Burt, in the body of the work. Mr.
Mason says that "the finest, beyond all comparison," of the
Stuart portraits of the first type is the "Gibbs" Washington.
He adds: "The picture is superb, and in it the lower part of
the face, so much criticized in the well-known portraits of
Washington by Stuart, is remarkably well managed." Rem-
brandt Peale says, speaking of the Vaughan picture, an early
Washington by Stuart: "In the lower part of the face it has
the advantage over the other portraits that he afterward
painted." This quality, in a much higher degree, appears in
the Gibbs picture, with which Peale was probably unac-
quainted. The venerable A. B. Durand, when shown a photo-
6
J
The " Gibbs-Channing" Washington
graph of it, said: "That is a likeness. It is much superior in
character to the Athenaeum portrait, and should be consid-
ered the standard: both the artist and the subject would
gain by it." He also said he wished he could have known of
it in earlier life, evidently meaning that he would have
engraved it, instead of the Athenaeum portrait.
The "Gibbs" Washington is distinguished by its dignity as
well as benignity of expression. The picture is in splendid
preservation, the colors, as in so many of Stuart's pictures,
retaining their original brilliancy.
I have a vivid recollection of the picture, nearly sixty
years ago, hanging with other portraits in the house of my
father, William Ellery Ghanning, in Boston.
Newport, Sept. 2, 1888. Wm. F. Channing.
Soon after the large " Anneline " photograph
was taken of the painting by Wm. Kurtz, a
copy of it was sent to Mr. Charles Henry Hart,
of Philadelphia, a literary gentleman who has
long been an acknowledged expert on subjects
of art connected with American history. On
the receipt of which he wrote as follows :
"Kosemont, Pa., January 18, 1896.
" My dear Sir : I found the superb photograph
of your Washington awaiting me on my return,
and I cannot express myself in regard to the
original more strongly than I did in the ' Ameri-
can Art Keview ' for March, 1880, Vol. I, p.
219; as the volume may not be handy to you, I
will quote from my review therein of Mason's
7
^a
■J
The " Gibbs-Channing" Washington
Life of Stuart: 'For introducing this last-
named picture (Gibbs* Washington) to the public,
Mr. Mason merits universal thanks, and it is
only to be regretted that it has remained hidden
so long. Had it been known earlier, we feel
confident in asserting that the Athenaeum head
would not have become the accepted likeness of
Washington. We had the privilege of seeing
the Gibbs portrait when it was in the engraver's
hands, and to say that it is noble as a portrait
and grand as a picture is but to express feebly
the impression it made upon us. In the first
place, it is what the Lansdowne and Athenaeum
heads are not : it is the likeness of a man — a
man who has lived among men ; firmness and
gentleness, decision and moderation, thoughtful-
ness and power, all are depicted there. One
feels that Washington could have looked like
this, and it is not unlike the portraits painted by
other artists; but no one can ever feel thor-
oughly satisfied that he did look like the Lans-
downe or the Athenaeum heads. . . ."' Quoting
still further from Mr. Hart's review, he says :
" That Stuart was a master in the art of portrait
painting it needs no argument to prove; his
works are the only argument needed, and they
prove it most satisfactorily. In his life-like por-
8
The " Gibbs-Channing" Washington
traits the men and women of a past generation
live again. Each individual is here, and it was
Stuart's ability to portray the individual that
was his greatest power. Each face looks at
you, and fain would speak, while the brilliant
and animated coloring makes one forgetful that
it is of the past. Stuart's pictures have come
down to us very little injured by time, which is
doubtless owing to the use by him of pure colors,
and his manner of employing them."
The late Wm. S. Baker, of Philadelphia, the
well-known author of the " Engraved Portraits
of Washington," Philadelphia, 1880, and of"
other historical and bibliographical works relat-
ing to Washington, thus expressed himself: " I
have received a copy of the splendid photograph
of the Gibbs-Channing € Washington.' I do
not remember to have seen the original, but am
exceedingly impressed with this reproduction
and can truthfully say with Durand that ' this
is a likeness and much superior to the Athenaeum
head/ I am glad that the original of so valu-
able a portrait of the * Father of his Country ' is
in such worthy hands. I must regard it as the
portrait which is most consistent with the charac-
ter of that great man. . . ."
9
jr^^^fc
The " Gibbs- Charming" Washington
Keturning to Mason's "Life," G. W. P. Custis,
in his "Recollections and Private Memoirs,"
says: "The first portrait of Washington by
Stuart created a great sensation in Philadelphia.
It was soon followed by the celebrated full-
length for the Marquis of Lansdowne. 1 This
last was undoubtedly the next picture to create
a sensation; but there was an interval of at
least a year between the painting of the first por-
trait and the full-length. . . ." Among Stuart's
papers the following fragment was found: "A
list of gentlemen who are to have copies of the
portrait of the President of the United States,
Philadelphia, 1795" (then follow several
names — Mr. Vaughan's being the only one
which has become familiar); it is not at all
probable that these pictures were all painted ;
Philadelphia at that time was ftdl of visitors ;
i " The first full-length of Washington was a commission from the Marquis
of Lansdowne. When it was known that Stuart was to paint such a picture,
Mr. and Mrs. William Bingham (Mr. Bingham was a notable merchant of
Philadelphia) expressed a strong desire to be at the charge, and to be per-
mitted to present it to the marquis. Stuart, it is said, hesitated, but finally
yielded to their wishes, and Mrs. Bingham asked the president to give the
artist sittings. This was in April, 1796, as shown in the note from the
president to Stuart. 'Sir:—l am under promise to Mrs. Bingham to sit for
you to-morrow, at nine o'clock, and wishing to know if it would be convenient
to you that I should do so, and whether it shall be at your own house (as she
talked of the State House) I send this note to ask information. I am, sir,
your obedient servant, Geo. Washington
'Monday Evening, 11. April, 1796/ w
This painting is now in the possession of Lord Rosebery.
10
The " Gibbs -Channing" Washington
Stuart was crowded with orders for portraits,
and he was so overrun with callers that he was
forced, a little later, to remove to Germantown.
"... It is very easy to establish the fact that
the earlier portraits show only the right side of
the face, but it is not possible now to say which
of the early portraits was the earliest. The
finest beyond all comparison is that owned by
Dr. William F. Channing, of Providence, R. I.
It was painted for Colonel George Gibbs. The
warmest friendship existed between Colonel
Gibbs and Stuart, and we may feel sure that in
painting this picture the artist aimed to do his
best. ,,
Mr. Charles Henry Hart, in " Harper's Maga-
zine " for August, 1896, in an article on "Stuart's
Lansdowne Portrait of Washington," has the
following regarding the pictures of the first sit-
ting to Stuart :
"Gilbert Stuart painted three original por-
traits of Washington from life. They are
known to history, from their owners, in the
order of their painting, as the Vaughan, Lans-
downe, and Athenaeum pictures. The first is a
full bust, the second a whole length, and the
third a vignette head. The Vaughan portrait
11
■aMfc
*ji
wm
The " Gibbs^Channing" Washington
shows the right side of the face, while the Lans-
downe and Athenaeum heads show the left side.
" Stuart returned from England in 1792, after
an ahsence of seventeen years, and towards the
close of 1794 settled in Philadelphia, with the
ostensible object of painting a portrait of the
President, carrying with him, it is said, a letter
of introduction to Washington from John Jay.
Here in the following year he painted his first
portrait of Washington, a delineation unfortu-
nately not commonly familiar, but which, after
a careful study of the subject, I consider to be
the best and most satisfactory likeness of Wash-
ington that Stuart painted.
" There are but three pictures known of this
type from the easel of Stuart. One, the portrait
painted for Samuel Vaughan, of London, which
was finely engraved by Holloway for Hunter's
sumptuous edition of Lavater's "Physiognomy,"
now in the possession of Mrs. Joseph Harrison,
of Philadelphia. Another, until within a few
years lost sight of, much finer than the Vaughan
portrait in execution, and with every indication
of being the original from life painted for Wil-
liam Bingham, and purchased at the sale of his
effects at Philadelphia, in 1807, by the proprie-
tor of the Old Exchange Coffee-house, in whose
12
Skm
The " Gibbs-Channing" Washington
family it remained for eighty-five years, until it
came into the possession of the writer. And
the third, somewhat varied from the other two,
but a very beautiful and impressive head, known
as the Gibbs picture, belonging to Mr. S. P.
Avery, of New York.
" For some unaccountable reason Stuart seems
not to have been satisfied with this, his first
attempt, and he had two later sittings, the last
one, or Athenaeum head, receiving his prefer-
ence. Yet he retained the Gibbs picture by
him for several years, and is said to have dis-
posed of it to Colonel Gibbs as his best work*
and only out of personal friendship. Likewise,
when William Birch desired to make an enamel
portrait of Washington, Stuart gave him his
first head to copy, and Washington stamped it
with his approval."
Mason mentions another of the same type as
being owned (1879) by " Mrs. Eogers, of Lan-
caster, Pa., a daughter of General Hand, of the
Revolution. . . ." Elizabeth Johnston has the
following notice of this picture in her work,
" The Original Portraits of Washington," Mo,
Osgood & Co., Boston, 1882 : " A very hand-
some copy of this first portrait is now in posses-
13
The " Gibbs-Channing" Washington
sion of Mrs. Anna E. Eeilly, of New Haven,
Conn. This lady is a great-granddaughter of
the ' gallant Irish captain of the Revolution/
General Edward Hand. The picture was pur-
chased in Baltimore in 1806, hy Edward Brien,
of Philadelphia, who married General Hand's
daughter." The late Mr. Stockton Hough,
of Trenton, N. J., told Mr. Avery that he had
seen this picture (1899) in possession of Mrs.
Reilly (nee Rogers), who was then living at the
Windsor Hotel. Mr. Hough described the pic-
ture as being a fair example of the artist, and
that the background was red. Another good
Stuart, answering to the above description, is
now owned by Mr. George L. Rives of this
city, who has kindly furnished this clear pedi-
gree of it. "This portrait was for many years
in the possession of Professor George Tucker, of
the University of Virginia, the biographer and
friend of Jefferson. How it came into Professor
Tucker's possession is uncertain, although it
may have been through his wife, who was
Maria Ball Carter, whom he married in 1802,
and who was a great-niece of General Washing-
ton. From Professor Tucker the portrait came
to his daughter, Mrs. George Rives, of Sher-
wood, Albemarle Co., Va., and was by her sold
14
The " Gfibbs-Channing" Washington
to Mr. Francis Rives in 1874, who bequeathed
it to his son, Mr. George L. Rives."
Stuart's third original — destined to become
the most known of his works — was a bust-
portrait, for which Washington consented to
sit at the solicitation of his wife, of whom
Stuart painted a companion portrait during the
spring or summer of 1796. His fame now
burdened him with multiplied demands upon
his time. To secure leisure, he left Chestnut
Street, and removed to Germantown, where the
Athenaeum portraits were painted. Different
statements have been made as to why Stuart
never completely finished these portraits, and
retained them thus in his possession until
he died. Stuart's explanation is given by
Mr. Neagle, the artist, in these words: "Mrs.
Washington called often to see the general's
portrait, and was desirous to possess it One
day she called with her husband, and begged to
know when she might have it. The general
himself never pressed it; but on this occasion, as
he and his lady were about to retire, he returned
to Mr. Stuart, and said that he saw plainly of
what advantage the picture was to the painter.
He therefore begged the artist to retain the
15
The " Gfibbs-Channing" Washington
picture at his pleasure." Miss Jane Stuart's
version of the story is: "When General and
Mrs. Washington took their last sittings, her
father told Washington that it would be of great
importance to him if he could retain the origi-
nals, and that Washington consented, saying,
' Certainly, Mr. Stuart, if they are of any con-
sequence to you; I shall be perfectly satisfied
with copies from your hand, as it will be impos-
sible for me to sit again. 9 "' Miss Stuart says
that the copies that were made were for Mount
Vernon.
This pair of (the unfinished) portraits re-
mained in the possession of his family until
1831, when they were bought from his widow,
for fifteen hundred dollars, by the Washington
Association of Boston, and other subscribers,
and were presented to the Boston Athenaeum;
at present they are loaned to the Museum of
Fine Arts, with other paintings belonging to
the Athenaeum. Of this picture Stuart made a
great many copies, good, fairly good, or poor,
as the mood or pressure permitted; he used to
call it his "nest egg," or his "hundred-dollar
bill," and when he needed money he would turn
one oflf rapidly. One of the best of these copies
16
MMMiiM
iitfi
Ai
j
The " Gibbs-Channing" Washington
is now in the Walters superb collection at Bal-
timore. It was painted for Robert Gilmor, also
a noted collector of the same city; with the
picture came Stuart's receipt for the price of it
(one hundred and fifty dollars), and some lines
saying that, painting it for such a distinguished
amateur, he had taken especial pains with it,
and hoped Mr. Gilmor would be pleased. After
the Gilmor collection was dispersed, this picture
became the property of Admiral Dahlgren, from
whose widow the late William T. Walters pro-
cured it.
Some of Stuart's copies of this Washington
portrait have been destroyed by fire or other
accidents, others from want of proper care, in-
judicious cleaning, etc., have become worthless.
Stuart's daughter made quite a number of copies
of the same picture; James Frothingham,
Stuart's pupil, made several most excellent
copies, which to the unlearned might pass as
the master's work. Others have made copies,
from copies. Considering these facts, it is not
difficult to account for the numerous "Stuart's
Washington 99 which are constantly turning up,
to the dismay of artist-judges and other genuine
experts.
17
FMii ff
The " CHbbs-Channing" Washington
Washington Allston was asked to pronounce
a eulogy on Stuart, but he was forced to decline,
owing to failing health; he, however, wrote the
following obituary, which appeared in the
columns of the Boston "Daily Advertiser ": a
memorial which in paying a just and beautiful
tribute to the genius of Stuart, did credit to the
heart of his brother artist.
Gilbert Stuart
JBom December 3, 1755.
EHe0 3uH?27, 1828.
"During the last week the remains of Gilbert
Stuart, Esq., were consigned to the tomb. He
was born in the State of Ehode Island, in the
year 1755. Soon after coming of age he went
to England, where he became the pupil of Mr.
West, the late distinguished President of the
Royal Academy. Stuart there rose to eminence ;
nor was it a slight distinction that his claims
were acknowledged even during the life of Sir
Joshua Reynolds. His high reputation as a
portrait painter, as well in Ireland as in Eng-
land, having thus introduced him to a large ac-
quaintance among the higher classes of society,
18
ritttf*
The " GHbbs-Channing" Washington
both fortune and fame attended his progress, in-
asmuch that, had he chosen to remain in Eng-
land, they would have doubtless awarded him
their highest gifts- But, admired and patron-
ized as he was, he chose to return to his native
country. He was impelled to this step, as he
often declared, by a desire to give to Americans
a faithful portrait of Washington, and thus, in
some measure, to associate his own with the
name of the Father of his Country. And well
is his ambition justified in the sublime head he
has left us: a nobler personification of wisdom
and goodness, reposing in the majesty of a
serene countenance, is not to be found on can-
vas. He returned to America in 1792, and re-
sided chiefly in Philadelphia and Washington,
in the practice of his profession, till about 1806,
when he removed to Boston, where he remained
to the time of his death. During the last ten
years of his life he had to struggle with many
infirmities ; yet such was the vigor of his mind
that he seemed to triumph over the decay of
nature, and give to some of his last productions
all the truth and splendor of his prime.
" Gilbert Stuart was not only one of the first
painters of his time, but must have been ad-
mitted, by all who had an opportunity of know-
19
mm
The " Ctibbs-Channing" Washington
ing him, to have heen, even out of his art, an
extraordinary man; one who would have found
distinction easy in any other profession or walk
of life. His mind was of a strong and original
cast, his perceptions as clear as they were just,
and in the power of illustration he has rarely
heen equaled on almost every suhject, more
especially on such as were connected with his
art; his conversation was marked hy wisdom
and knowledge, while the uncommon precision
and eloquence of his language seemed ever to
receive additional grace from his manner, which
was that of a well-hred gentleman. 3 " The nar- ^
rations and anecdotes with which his knowledge
of men and of the world had stored his mem-
ory, and which he often gave with great heauty
and dramatic effect, were not unfrequently em-
ployed hy Mr. Stuart in a way and with an
address peculiar to himself. From this store it
was his custom to draw largely while occupied
with his sitters — apparently for their amuse-
ment; hut his object was rather, hy thus ban-
ishing all restraint, to call forth, if possible,
some involuntary traits of natural character.
But these glimpses of character, mixed as they
are in all men with so much that belongs to
their age and association, would have been of
20
dMb*i
—J
The " Qibbs-Channing" Washington
little use to the ordinary observer ; for the fac-
ulty of distinguishing between the accidental
and the permanent — in other words, between the
conventional expression which arises from man-
ners and the more subtle indication of the indi-
vidual mind — is indeed no common one; and by
no one with whom we are acquainted was this
faculty possessed in so remarkable a degree.
It was this which enabled him to animate his
canvas, — not with the appearance of mere gen-
eral life, but with that peculiar, distinctive life
which separates the humblest individual from
his kind. He seemed to dive into the thoughts
of men, for they were made to rise and speak
on the surface- Were other evidence wanting,
this talent alone were sufficient to establish his
claims as a man of genius, since it is the privi-
lege of genius alone to measure at once the
highest and the lowest. In his happiest efforts,
no one ever surpassed him in embodying (if we
may so speak) these transient apparitions of the
soul. x
"In a word, Gilbert Stuart was, in its widest
sense, a philosopher in his art; he thoroughly
understood its principles, as his works bear wit-
ness, — whether as to the harmony of colors, or
of lines, or of light and shadow, — showing that
21
The " Qibbs-Channing" Washington
exquisite sense of a whole which only a man of
genius can realize and embody.
" We cannot close this brief notice without a
passing record of his generous bearing toward
his professional brethren. He never suffered
the manliness of his nature to darken with the
least shadow of jealousy ; but where praise was
due he gave it freely, and gave it, too, with a
grace which showed that, loving excellence for
its own sake, he had a pleasure in praising. To
the younger artists he was uniformly kind and
indulgent, and most liberal of his advice, which
no one ever properly asked but he received,
and in a manner no less courteous than im-
pressive. The unbroken kindness and friend-
ship with which he honored the writer of this
imperfect sketch will never be forgotten. In
the world of art Mr. Stuart has left a void that
will not soon be filled. And well may his
country say, 'A great man has passed from
amongst us/ But Gilbert Stuart has bequeathed
her what is paramount to power, — since no
power can command it, — the rich inheritance
of his fame."
22
MATTERS OF FACT
In confirmation of Alston's reference to Stuart's "high
reputation as a portrait painter, as well in Ireland as in Eng-
land" (Stuart spent seventeen years there), the following
list of portraits of distinguished subjects painted during that
period, and engraved in mezzotint, and published from 1781
(only six years after Stuart arrived in London) down to 1806,
taken from John Chaloner Smith's work on English mezzo-
tints, will be found most interesting. These engravings are
all of folio size, and for the full lengths, of which there are
several ; the plates are extra large, and executed by the best
engravers of the period. Fine-proof impressions of some of
these plates fetch at auction sales sometimes as much as
the artist received for the original painting. It is amusing
to note the various ways the painter's name was engraved on
the plate. Often it was Stewart instead of Stuart, most fre-
quently it was C. G., then simply G. or J.— then Gabriel
which was affixed to the line engraving by James Heath of
the Lansdowne picture, published in 1800. One plate at-
tributed the painting to " Gainsboro and Stuart " (there is a
small line-engraving of J. S. Copley, the painter, which is
attributed to Gainsborough, but really painted by Stuart).
We give the name of the subject, name of the mezzotint en-
graver, and date of the publication (as per J. G. Smith) :
Pothergill, John, M.D., V. Green, 1781. Rogers, Rev. John
23
The " Gibbs-Channing" Washington
(engraver's name not given), published 1785. Kemble, John,
as Richard HI., G. Keating, 1788. Manchester, George Mon-
tague, Duke of, John Jones, 1790. Fitzgibbon, Lord John,
C. H. Hodges, 1790. Beresford, Right Hon. John, C. H.
Hodges, 1790. Cleaver, Eusby, Bromley, 1790. Leinster, Wm.
Robert, Duke of, C. H. Hodges, 1790. Grattan, Rt. Hon.
Henry, C. H. Hodges, 1792. Poster, John, Rt. Hon., C. H.
Hodges, 1792. Conyngham, Rt. Hon. Wm. B., C. H. Hodges,
1792. Brownlow, Rt. Hon. Wm., C. H. Hodges, 1792.
Jervis, Sir John, Robert Laurie, 1794. Carnarvon, Rt. Hon.,
Earl of, W. Ward, 1795. Harvey, Captain John, J. Murphy,
1795. Shaw, Robert, W. Ward, 1797. Lewis, John, R. Meld
(no date). St. Vincent, the Earl of, J. R. Smith, 1797. St.
Vincent, the Earl of (quite a different picture), W. Barnard,
1798. Duke of Northumberland, Charles Turner, 1804. Mal-
ton, Mr. Thomas, Wm. Barney, 1806. Preston, Rev. William,
W. Dickinson (no date). Sidney, Lord Viscount, Jno. Young
(no date).
(Mr. Avery has a set of these rare mezzotints.)
In addition to the above, numerous other engravings have
been published in England from portraits painted by Stuart,
during his residence abroad, executed in line or stipple, by
Wm. Sharp, Bartolozzi, Facius, Meyer, Holloway, Ridley, Hull,
Fry, Caroline Watson, and others.
The " Gibbs-Channing " Washington, by Gilbert Stuart,
1795, measures 25 by 30 inches—a favorite size of Stuart's ;
it is painted on canvas with a kind of surface generally used
by him. The head and features are firmly modeled, the flesh
has those delicate gradations of carnation which he handled
so ably, rich and refined at the same time ; the black velvet
coat has all the texture and sheen of the material itself, no
part being at all vague, the white shirt-ruffle shows that firm
and peculiar " touch " which artists have always admired in
such details by Stuart. The background is made up of a cur-
24
The " Gfibbs-Channing" Washington
tain, exquisitely expressed in delicate shades of olive-green-
gray color; at the right is an opening with a landscape sug-
gested. This treatment is a distinguishing feature of this
particular representation of the first sitting, each of the other
examples having red backgrounds. It is seldom that a work of
art has remained so long in the one family, over eighty years
have passed during its ownership by three persons — sacredly
guarded, never tampered with, perfectly transmitted.
The earliest public exhibition of this painting of which we
have found any record is when it was on view, with a consid-
erable number of Stuart's portraits, at the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston, during the summer of 1860, when it attracted
admiration, surprise and discussion. Previous to that time it
could only have been seen by the personal friends of the
Gibbs and Ghanning families. Mr. Avery never saw the pic-
ture until 1888, when it was in the care of the poet, Mr. E. C.
Stedman (a relative of Dr. Ghanning), who put it on view, for
an evening, at a monthly meeting of the u Century n Associa-
tion, New York. Later on Mr. Stedman sent it to the loan
exhibition in commemoration of the centennial of Washing-
ton's inauguration 1789-1889, held at the Metropolitan Opera
House, New York, 1889. Soon after this Mr. Avery pur-
chased the picture. It was next seen in a loan collection at
the National Academy of Design 1893-94. During several
months in 1896, it was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in
a retrospective collection of paintings by American artists,
and at the Union League Club, New York, February 22, 1897.
It next figured in the exhibition of engraved portraits of
Washington held at the Grolier Club, December, 1899, in
commemoration of the one hundredth anniversary of his death.
The first reproduction of this work of which we have any
knowledge, is a small photograph taken 1879 by Coleman &
Co., of Providence, R. I., for Dr. Channing, and which was
used for the fine line-engraving made by C. Burt, who put in a
plain, flat background, omitting the curtain and landscape
25
The "Gibbs-Channing" Washington
glimpses, and also for the photogravure by Goupil, of Paris,
both appearing in the handsome quarto vol.: "The Life and
Works of Gilbert Stuart," by Geo. C. Mason, Chas. Scribner's
Sons, N. Y., 1879. There is a large photo-print (rather black)
of this picture in Elizabeth B. Johnston's work, "The Original
Portraits of Washington," folio, Osgood & Co., Boston, 1882.
It was engraved on wood by G. Kruell, from the Coleman
photograph, for " Harper's Magazine," April, 1889, to accom-
pany an article on the Centennial celebration. It was also
represented (but why in an oval form?) in the official " History
of the Centennial Celebration of George Washington as First
President of the United States," edited by Clarence Winthrop
Bowen, Esq., Ph.D., Appleton & Co., 1892. A most excel-
lent photograph by the " Anneline " process, size 10x13, was
taken direct from the painting for Mr. Avery by Wm. Kurtz,
1895. A " half-tone " engraving from that photograph was
reproduced for " Harper's Magazine," August, 1896, as one of
the illustrations to Mr. Chas. Henry Hart's article, " Stuart's
Lansdowne Portrait of Washington." And Thos. Johnson,
the engraver on wood, executed a very successful rendering
from the Kurtz photograph (assisted by a close study of the
painting), which appeared in u Scribner's Magazine" for June,
1898, for Lodge's "Story of the Revolution."
The reproductions by the "Albertype" process of the Gibbs-Channing
painting, the engraving by Holloway of the Vaughan painting, and the por-
trait of Stuart, after Neagle, were made for this little history by Mr. Edward
Bierstadt, N. Y.
26
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