Mary Campbell Stuartc. 1815 · Study 1927.394.2

Context from the museum

Born in Rhode Island, Gilbert Stuart studied painting in London under fellow American expatriate Benjamin West (also in this gallery). He achieved great success as a fashionable portrait painter of high society, most famously George and Martha Washington. Here, he portrayed Mary Stuart (born Campbell), the great-granddaughter of Colonel Peter Bard, a New Jersey Supreme Court judge. She married Dr. James Stuart, whose portrait was also painted by Stuart (unrelated to the sitters). Both are shown seated in an Empire chair upholstered in brown brocade. Stuart painted the portrait pair on panel because the British naval blockade during the War of 1812 hindered the import of canvas, the artist’s preference.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Mary Campbell Stuart is 65.7 cm wide and 83 cm high, equivalent to approximately 25.9 × 32.7 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.79:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.55 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 21.9% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 117.2 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Mary Campbell Stuart in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on wood, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 65.7 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?