Jane Stuart, the youngest daughter of Gilbert and Charlotte Coates Stuart, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1812. Her father was well-known for his portrait of President George Washington, whose likeness he copied hundreds of times throughout his life. Gilbert Stuart was born in Saunderstown, Rhode Island and moved to Boston in 1805 where he remained for the rest of his life. As a young girl, Jane helped in her father’s studio, grinding and mixing pigments and doing other chores. Although she received no formal training from her father, she learned his techniques by observing and listening to him instruct his students. She was soon able to complete his paintings, from filling in backgrounds to finishing the secondary details. When Gilbert died in 1828, he left the family destitute. Jane opened a studio in Boston and she relocated to Newport with her mother and siblings. Jane worked as painter and teacher, to support her family. She received commissions for miniature and full-size copies of her father’s most popular works, including his presidential portraits, and also completed original paintings and portraits done in her own style. After her Boston studio burned in 1858, she moved permanently to Newport, and ultimately purchased a house on Mill Street, where she lived until her death in 1888.
Biography and image provided by Redwood Library and Athenaeum
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