Gilbert Stuart
(North Kingstown, Rhode Island, 1755 - 1828, Boston, Massachusetts)
Title
Portrait of Mrs. James Bowdoin III (née Sarah Bowdoin)
Creation Date
ca. 1805
Century
early 19th century
Dimensions
30 1/8 in. x 25 3/16 in. (76.52 cm x 63.98 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Creation Place
North America, United States
Medium and Support
oil on canvas
Credit Line
Bequest of Mrs. Sarah Bowdoin Dearborn
Copyright
Public Domain
Accession Number
1870.7
Gilbert Stuart likely painted this portrait of Sarah Bowdoin prior to her departure with her husband on his diplomatic mission to Europe in 1805. She wears an elegant high-waisted dress with a silk ruff in the latest fashion. The lace veil, or mantilla, that gracefully covers her head and shoulders was popular with Spanish women and anticipates her residence in Spain. After the death of James Bowdoin III in 1811, Sarah married Henry Dearborn, a Revolutionary War veteran and Thomas Jefferson’s secretary of war. Sarah Bowdoin was integral in preserving the Bowdoin family’s collection of Stuart portraits.
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