Matthew Clarkson

Gilbert Stuart

ca. 1794 · Oil on canvas · The American Wing

Like his father before him, Matthew Clarkson was prominent in the political and commercial affairs of New York. He embarked early on a military career, distinguishing himself at the age of nineteen in the Battle of Saratoga. After his retirement from active duty about 1788, he followed the family tradition in his energetic participation in political and civic projects. He was an early advocate of the abolition of slavery. Clarkson sat for Stuart just after the artist's return from Europe. The portrait includes touches of Stuart's breezy aristocratic treatment but is primarily a straightforward depiction of this handsome New Yorker.

Artist

Gilbert Stuart

Date

ca. 1794

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Bequest of Helen Shelton Clarkson, 1937