George Washington

Adolph Ulrich Wertmuller

1795 · Oil on canvas · The American Wing

The Swedish portraitist Wertmuller worked in Paris until the upheavals of the French Revolution drove him to Madrid and then Philadelphia. In early November 1794 he completed his first portrait of Washington, which he replicated many times. With its fussy lace ruff and powder-speckled coat, Wertmuller's portrayal of Washington was both admired and condemned. Some proclaimed it the finest likeness of the president, while others, who preferred the work of Peale, Stuart, and Trumbull, deemed it overly precious and not at all like him.

Artist

Adolph Ulrich Wertmuller

Date

1795

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Bequest of Charles Allen Munn, 1924