The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Special Exhibitions

	Gilbert Stuart Stuart in Philadelphia (1794–1803)

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		Gilbert Stuart (American, 1755–1828) Mary Willing Clymer, 1797 Oil on canvas; 29 x 23 in. (73.7 x 58.4 cm) The Barker Welfare Foundation, Chicago

Stuart's portraits of the five beautiful daughters of Thomas and Anne McCall Willing exemplify Stuart's exceptional talents: he observed facial features closely and expressed individual characterization through compositional choice. Mary Clymer (1770–1852) bears a family resemblance to her sister Anne (cat. no. 51 in exhibition) but is portrayed as more reticent and modest. The one bit of exoticism—the plaid East India cotton scarf worn as a turban—is balanced by her reading material, John Gregory's popular A Father's Legacy to His Daughters, a book of advice on appropriate conduct for young women.