posted on 6/15/2026

It wasn’t easy convincing George Washington to sit for a portrait, but when Gilbert Stuart finally convinced him in his last year of presidency, the artist had an important task on his hands: how do you depict the leader of a new nation? With hidden images of hope and references to the Roman Republic, of course!

Explore American portraits painted and sculpted during the years leading up to, and the decades after, the Revolution in the virtual lecture “Portraits of a Revolution” with Art Historian Inez McDermott. The program, in partnership with Tewksbury Public Library, takes place on Wednesday, June 17, at 7 p.m. Register to receive a link to the livestream.

In the talk, McDermott will examine portraits of founding “fathers” and “mothers”, as well as of lesser-known individuals, showing how these artworks are documents that can be read like texts. She will show how the ideals, values, and virtues expressly stated in the founding documents are easily identifiable in these portraits. Audiences will be introduced to art analysis skills, practice them, and learn how artworks can reveal so much about a culture. They will also study the tradition of portraiture and the influences of earlier art movements, artists, and artifacts that informed these American portraits....more