George Pollock 1793 - 1794

Gilbert Stuart painted this portrait of George Pollock with oil on canvas. It is a fine example of the artist's late style. Stuart, who worked in both Britain and America, was one of the most sought-after portraitists of his day. He made a career out of painting the likenesses of the wealthy elite. The trappings of Pollock's image speak to his place in society: powdered wig, ruffled shirt, and fine jacket. Here the sitter is presented as a man of business, ink and quill close at hand, posed in a moment of thoughtful contemplation. What do images like this tell us about late 18th and early 19th-century society? A consideration of the economics of portraiture, the status of the artist, and the social and political ambitions of the sitter can help us understand the institutional and cultural contexts of such a painting. Primary sources from the period such as letters and diaries, when coupled with close visual inspection, can yield important insights.