Gilbert Stuart's Brush with George Washington
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Calkins Creek
(Astra Books for Young Readers)
(pub. 8.27.2024)
40 pages
Ages 7 -10
Author: Sarah Albee
Illustrator: Stacy Innerst
Characters: Gilbert Stuart and George Washington
Overview:
"George Washington and artist Gilbert Stuart didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but both men knew the importance of legacy and the power of art. Though George disliked having his portrait painted—which took days and days to complete—he knew his place in history would require people to know his face.
Fortunately, Gilbert Stuart’s unique way of painting didn’t compel his subjects to sit for hours on end—in fact, he encouraged them to move around and even bring friends to chat with. Capturing the soul of each subject, his portraits were unlike any other artists’. And Gilbert Stuart’s one-of-a-kind portrait of Washington stands the test of time—it’s the one that’s used on the one-dollar bill."
Tantalizing taste:
"Martha Washington convinces her husband
to pose for one more portrait.
It's for the grandchildren!
The president reluctantly agrees -
just so long as she doesn't hire
that infernal chatterbox Gilbert Stuart.
Martha hires Gilbert Stuart to paint the
president's portrait.
(She'll have him paint her portrait, too.)
The painter is primed to paint the president.
If he can pull off a perfect portrait,
he can paint and sell copies of it (called replicas).
He'll be able to pay off all his debts.
(Gilbert Stuart tends to spend money faster than he can earn it.)"
And something more: A detailed timeline in the back matter of The Painter and the President includes fascinating facts about both Stuart and Washington, including "in 1796: Gilbert Stuart begins a second portrait of George Washington, as well as one of Martha Washington. He never finishes either portrait but will paint at least 75 replicas of his painting of George Washington."
Author Sarah Albee kindly shared with me: "As I was writing this book I tried to picture what the illustrations might look like. How, I wondered, will an artist handle illustrating a book about another artist? Stacy Innerst's style turned out to be a perfect match. His choice to embed actual Gilbert Stuart paintings into his own illustrations worked so well. It's easy to see what's Gilbert and what's Stacy, and their styles complement one another beautifully. Plus Stacy has a fantastic sense of humor." Yes, Stacy's style and the blending with the Gilbert Stuart paintings are perfect for this book. And the humor matches the clever text too!
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