Henrietta Marchant Liston (Mrs. Robert Liston)
1800
Gilbert Stuart, the man who painted the George Washington on your dollar bill, captured the wife of the British Ambassador to the U.S. in this stylish portrait from 1800. Henrietta Liston is rocking a massive, wide-brimmed hat topped with fluffy blue ribbons that look like a crown of clouds. She wears a simple white dress with a warm, rust-colored shawl, gazing directly at us with a calm, confident look that hints at her reputation as a sharp observer of early American society. It’s a fantastic example of how Stuart could make his subjects look elegant yet totally approachable.
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