Mrs. Joseph Anthony Jr. (Henrietta Hillegas)
ca. 1795-98
Gilbert Stuart captures the fashionable elegance of late 18th-century Philadelphia in this striking portrait of Henrietta Hillegas. Framed within a dramatic oval vignette featuring a sweeping red curtain, she sports the era's signature towering, powdered curls adorned with a delicate blue ribbon that perfectly matches her sash. Stuart, the same mastermind behind the most famous portraits of George Washington, uses loose, expressive brushstrokes in the background to make her luminous white silk dress and rosy cheeks truly pop against the dark, moody backdrop.
- Technique
- oil painting