George Washington

Adolph Ulrich Wertmuller

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 774

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.

George Washington, Adolph Ulrich Wertmuller (Stockholm 1751–1811 Naamans Creek, Delaware), Oil on canvas, American

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