George Washington 1791 - 1878

Editor: Here we have Anna Claypoole Peale’s drawing of George Washington, created sometime between 1791 and 1878, now residing at the Met. The oval composition and monochromatic palette definitely lend it a sort of serious, classical feel. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Ah, yes, Washington. He stares back at us with that famous stoicism, doesn't he? But for me, beyond the political iconography, I see Anna Peale, a woman artist carving her space in a world that wasn't exactly throwing open the doors to female portraitists. The softness of the pencil, the subtle gradations… does it strike you as more reverent or realistic? Editor: That’s interesting. I guess I hadn’t considered the artist's perspective as much. Realistic, I think. There’s a realness there that feels different from the grand oil paintings you usually see of him. Curator: Exactly! It’s like she's letting us peek behind the presidential facade. Imagine her, sitting before him, capturing not just his features, but perhaps a hint of his humanity. A whisper of the man, not just the monument. What do you make of the simplicity of the medium? Editor: I think it strips away a lot of the… I don’t know… bombast? You focus on the person rather than the pomp. Curator: Precisely! The absence of color forces us to consider the textures, the light, the very lines that define his face. It's almost meditative. I think she's asking us to look closer, to question the image we’ve inherited. And in doing so, perhaps, see a bit of ourselves. What a revolutionary idea, isn't it? Editor: That’s really beautiful, and now I’ll always think about Anna Peale when I see other portraits from that time. Thanks so much. Curator: The pleasure was all mine. Always remember, every portrait is a dialogue across centuries, an invitation to see the world, and ourselves, anew.