Washington and His Wife
Date1876
Engraver
John Chester Buttre
(American, 1821 - 1893)
After
Gilbert Stuart
(American, 1755 - 1828)
After
Junius Brutus Stearns
(American, 1810 - 1885)
Publisher
John Chester Buttre
(American, 1821 - 1893)
Manufacturer
Charles Kress
Geography
Manufactured -
United States
Medium/TechniqueSteel-faced copper; engraved
DimensionsOverall: 17 5/8 in. × 23 3/4 in. × 1/8 in. (44.77 cm × 60.33 cm × 0.32 cm)
Credit LinePurchase. Alice M. Longfellow, Vice Regent for Massachusetts, by exchange, 2017
Object numberM-5524
DescriptionHorizontally oriented rectangular engraving plate for double portrait of George Washington (left) and Martha Washington (right). Both subjects are shown bust length, half turned to face each other, in oval cartouches. The portraits are after Gilbert Stuart’s unfinished “Athenaeum” portraits and are each surrounded by decorative vignettes. George Washington is surrounded by military vignettes, captioned (clockwise, from upper left): PRINCETON / TRENTON / VALLEY FORGE / SURRENDER OF CORNWALLIS”. Centered above the oval cartouche is a small standing figure of George Washington, after Stuart’s “Lansdowne” portrait, and below, a second small standing figure, after Junius Brutus Stearns’s “Washington as a Farmer, at Mount Vernon.” Above Martha Washington’s oval is a view of the east lawn of Mount Vernon with a horse drawn carriage and numerous visitors in mid-19th century costume; below are six cherubs with swags of flowers, on either side of a small figure of Martha Washington walking in a garden with a large urn to her right. Above this figure are the words: “HONOR TO WOMAN TO HER IT IS GIVEN TO GARDEN THE EARTH WITH THE ROSES OF HEAVEN”. Under the image field are the following words: (from left): “JC Buttre” / “Entered according to act of Congress AD 1876 by J C Buttre in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.” / “G Stuart” / “G Washington’ [signature] / “M Washington” [signature] / “WASHINGTON AND HIS WIFE.” / “Published by JC Buttre 48 Franklin St, New York” (all in reverse).The steel facing of the reverse is heavily effaced, exposing the copper core; at the center of the left edge are stamped the words: “CHAS KRESS / […TON…] / NY”.
MarkingsOn obverse, below the image: (from left): “JC Buttre” / “G Washington’ [signature] / “Entered according to act of Congress AD 1876 by J C Buttre in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.” / “WASHINGTON AND HIS WIFE.” / “M Washington” [signature] / “G. Stuart” (all in reverse).
On reverse" indistinct impressed manufacture's name: "Chas. Kress / ... / N.Y."
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c. 1870
c. 1876
