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Primary sourcePaintingcirca 1821

Thomas Jefferson by Gilbert Stuart

Gilbert Stuart · circa 1821

A late-life oil portrait of Thomas Jefferson painted around 1821 by the renowned artist Gilbert Stuart.

A late portrait of Jefferson as sitter, painted near the end of his life by a leading American artist.

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Oil portrait of an older man with curly white hair, pink cheeks, and a dark coat with a white cravat, set against a brown and olive background. He faces the viewer with a calm expression.
Gilbert Stuart, portrait of Thomas Jefferson, circa 1821.

About this source

What it is

This oil portrait of Thomas Jefferson was painted by Gilbert Stuart around 1821, near the end of Jefferson's life. It shows an older man with curly white hair, pink cheeks, and a dark coat with a white cravat, set against a brown and olive background, facing the viewer calmly.

Why it matters

Gilbert Stuart was one of the most celebrated portrait painters of the early United States, and this later image of Jefferson is one of the major visual records of him as an elder statesman. It shows how Jefferson's public image changed from the vigorous younger man of earlier portraits to the respected elder figure of his final years.

Look closer

  • How does this portrait of an older Jefferson differ from earlier images of him as a younger man?
  • What might the calm, steady expression be meant to convey about his character?
  • Why do artists often paint famous figures late in life, and what do such portraits leave out?

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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Secondary source

Porträt Thomas Jefferson

Auguste Gaspard Louis Boucher Desnoyers

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