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Primary sourcePainting1811

The Edgehill Portrait

Gilbert Stuart · 1811

An oil portrait of President Thomas Jefferson painted from life by Gilbert Stuart and kept by his family.

This portrait, painted from life during his presidency, is one of the defining images of Jefferson kept by his own family.

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Oil portrait of an older man with white curly hair, dark coat and white cravat, set against a grey background. He faces slightly to the viewer's left with a calm expression.
Gilbert Stuart, The Edgehill Portrait, 1811. National Portrait Gallery.

About this source

What it is

This life-sized oil painting of Thomas Jefferson was made by American painter Gilbert Stuart while Jefferson was president. Stuart began the work and finished it years later; it stayed in the Jefferson family, who displayed it at Edgehill, before it eventually reached the National Portrait Gallery.

Why it matters

Stuart was one of the most sought-after portrait painters of his time, and this painting became one of the standard images used to show what Jefferson looked like as president. Because the family kept it for so long, it also tells us how Jefferson's descendants wanted him remembered.

Look closer

  • What does Jefferson's expression and pose suggest about how he wanted to be seen as president?
  • Why might a family keep a portrait like this for generations?
  • What is left out of a formal portrait like this that a photograph might show?

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

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