Following the death of John Parke Custis in November 1781 Eleanor Calvert Custis and her four young children moved in with her in-laws, the Washingtons. Eleanor had married young, and still retained a great deal of beauty and charm, as shown in this 1782 portrait miniature. It was perhaps this pleasing countenance that captured the attention of David Stuart, who had recently set up his medical practice in Alexandria, Virginia. The two were wed late the following year. Stuart became a trusted friend and advisor to George Washington.