Elizabeth Beltzhoover Mason
c. 1803-5
Gilbert Stuart, the artist who painted the face on the one-dollar bill, captured Elizabeth Beltzhoover Mason in this stunning early 19th-century portrait. She's rocking the ultimate Regency fashion: a high-waisted white muslin dress, romantic ringlets, and a classic pearl necklace. Stuart was famous for his loose, lively brushwork, which you can see in the dreamy, unfinished-looking landscape and columns behind her. It's a perfect snapshot of American high society just as the country was finding its feet, blending European neoclassical elegance with a fresh, American directness.
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