Matthew Clarkson

Gilbert Stuart American

Not on view

Like his father before him, Matthew Clarkson was prominent in the political and commercial affairs of New York. He embarked early on a military career, distinguishing himself at the age of nineteen in the Battle of Saratoga. After his retirement from active duty about 1788, he followed the family tradition in his energetic participation in political and civic projects. He was an early advocate of the abolition of slavery. Clarkson sat for Stuart just after the artist's return from Europe. The portrait includes touches of Stuart's breezy aristocratic treatment but is primarily a straightforward depiction of this handsome New Yorker.

Matthew Clarkson, Gilbert Stuart (American, North Kingston, Rhode Island 1755–1828 Boston, Massachusetts), Oil on canvas, American

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