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Primary sourcePainting1790s

Abigail Smith Adams (Sharples portrait)

James Sharples · 1790s

A pastel portrait of Abigail Adams made during the 1790s, the years of her husband's presidency.

This pastel portrait of Abigail Adams was made during the years her husband served as president.

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Black-and-white reproduction of a pastel-style portrait of a woman in a tall, pleated white bonnet with a dark lace-edged brim, a white lace-trimmed fichu over her shoulders, against a dark background. She looks toward the viewer with a slight, closed-mouth expression.
James Sharples, Abigail Smith Adams, 1790s. Reproduction.

About this source

What it is

This is a pastel-style portrait of Abigail Adams made by the artist James Sharples. It shows her wearing a tall pleated bonnet and a lace-trimmed fichu, looking toward the viewer.

Why it matters

Made during the 1790s, this portrait captures Abigail Adams around the time her husband John Adams served as President of the United States. Portraits like this one were a common way for prominent families of the era to record their appearance and status.

Look closer

  • How does this portrait's style compare to other portraits of Abigail Adams made later in her life?
  • What choices did the artist make about clothing and pose, and what might they tell us about how she wished to be presented?
  • Why do we only have a black-and-white reproduction of this image, and what might that mean for how accurately we can judge it?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Abigail Adams on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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