Cleveland Museum of Art
Elizabeth Beltzhoover Mason
Gilbert StuartLinkedCulture matchlcp-5e3429adccd7
- Date
- c. 1803–5
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Culture
- America
- Department
- American Painting and Sculpture
- Institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Object ID
- 103366
The sitter’s high-waisted dress, pearl necklace, and elegant hairstyle of cascading ringlets reflect the height of fashion around 1800. Her gaze is assured: her chin is tilted upward but her eyes peer down with confidence. Mason’s husband was a prosperous lawyer, an influential figure in President Thomas Jefferson’s administration, and a plantation owner in Maryland. According to an inventory from 1807, the couple enslaved approximately 185 people, ranging from the newborn Abraham to 79-year-old Rachel. The family’s wealth afforded Mason the opportunity to be painted by Gilbert Stuart, a much sought-after portraitist. Stuart also painted a portrait of George Washington, now immortalized on the dollar bill.
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Provenance & credit
As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.
- Credit line
- Gift from J. H. Wade
- Provenance
- 1921-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio | 1921: (Frank W. Bayley, Boston, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) | 1899-1921: Louisa Mason Terry [1844-1921], Washington, DC, consigned to Frank W. Bayley for sale1 | 1873-1899: Margaret Augusta Cowan Mason [1821-1899], Hagerstown, MD, by descent to her daughter, Louisa Mason Terry1 | 1836-1873: Judge John Thomson Mason, Jr. [1815-1873], Hagerstown, MD, by descent to his wife, Margaret Augusta Cowan Mason | c. 1803/1805 - 1836: Elizabeth Beltzhoover Mason [1781-1836] and John Thomson Mason [1765-1824], Montpelier, Clear Spring, MD, by descent to their son, Judge John Thomson Mason, Jr.
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