On view
Wilmerding Pavilion
Philip & Nancy Anschutz Gallery
Portrait of Washington Allston,
ca. 1794–96
Person depicted: Washington Allston, 1779–1843; born Georgetown, SC; died Cambridgeport, MA
Once thought to be a youthful self-portrait, this sensitive portrayal of the Romantic painter Washington Allston (1779–1843) is now considered the work of his slightly older friend and mentor. Edward Malbone specialized in miniature painting in watercolor on ivory, whose characteristic delicacy can be felt in this larger but still intimate oil on canvas. The two artists became acquainted in Newport, Rhode Island, and continued their friendship in Boston where Allston was a student and Malbone had established himself professionally. Malbone’s portrait of Allston might have resulted from either period; its precise dating is complicated by the fact that it appears at some point to have been cut down, obscuring details that might have helped identify the specific setting of the sitter.
Information
ca. 1794–96
North America, United States
- "Acquisitions of the Princeton University Art Museum 2005," Record of the Princeton University Art Museum 65 (2006): p. 49-81., p. 64
- Jeffrey Richmond-Moll, "The Face of a Friendship: Reattributing Portrait of Washington Allston," Record of the Princeton University Art Museum 70 (2011): 46–55., p. 56, fig. 1; p. 57, fig. 2
