Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, February 15, 1993 TAG: 9302150063
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JONATHAN MOORE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
IS WASHINGTON'S PORTRAIT REALLY ON THE MONEY?
The image of George Washington on the dollar bill in your pocket may be the most familiar likeness of America's first president, but it's probably not the most accurate.Researchers at Mount Vernon, Washington's colonial home, say that among the many likenesses of the first president, the 1796 portrait by Gilbert Stuart, which is the basis for the dollar bill portrait, is one of the least flattering and may be the least similar to the Founding Father.
"People have this one image burned into their brains, the image they see being made fun of in February, chopping prices with his hatchet," said Ann Rauscher, a spokeswoman at Mount Vernon.
In Washington's day, artists clamored to do his portrait, eager to make money by reproducing it, either by hand from the original or on engravings, Rauscher said.
Charles Willson Peale is credited with the first authentic rendering of the general. He painted seven versions, starting with a 1772 portrait of Washington at 40. His most famous likeness has Washington at the Battle of Princeton in 1779, one hand on his hip, the other on a cannon. The head has an oval shape, narrow jaw, thin nose and a small mouth.
In contrast, Stuart's famous painting has Washington with a broad nose, wide jaw and puffy cheeks.
"It's not thought to be the most accurate, but it got into the public domain because [Stuart] was considered one of the best portrait painters of his day," said Robert G. Stewart, a senior curator at the National Portrait Gallery.
Stewart attributes the disparities between the two well-known paintings to the 17 years Washington aged, plus different lighting and angle of the face, as well as subjective qualities that painters bring to their work.
A reason the cheeks bulge in the later painting was likely the result of Washington's well-known dental problems. He was probably wearing a set of dentures that didn't fit, Stewart said.
So what did George Washington look like?
For the most definitive version of Washington, experts suggest the 1784 bust by French sculptor Jean Antoine Houdon. It was commissioned by the General Assembly of Virginia and was based on a life mask made from a plaster mold of Washington's face. The original is at Mount Vernon.
Chances are, that version's in your pocket, too. It's on the U.S. quarter.