John Jay

by 1782

Fame after “The Skater”

By 1782 Stuart had met with success, largely thanks to “The Skater”, a portrait of Sir William Grant and Stuart’s first full-length portrait. The picture belied the opinion that he could paint a face but not a figure; the prices for his work were exceeded only by those of Reynolds and Gainsborough (by other accounts, they surpassed them).

c. September 1786

Marries Charlotte Coates

Charlotte Coates was thirteen years his junior. The couple had twelve children: five died by 1815 and two more in their youth.

1787

Flees to Dublin

Despite his many commissions, Stuart was habitually neglectful of money and in danger of being sent to debtors’ prison. In 1787 he fled to Dublin, where he painted and ran up debts with equal vigor.

1793

Returns to the United States to paint Washington

After 18 years in Britain and Ireland, leaving numerous unfinished paintings behind, Stuart returns with a plan to paint a portrait of Washington, have an engraver reproduce it and support his family from the sale of the engraving. Settling briefly in New York, he seeks commissions from influential people who could bring him to Washington’s attention.

1794

Paints John Jay and gets a letter to Washington

His portrait of the statesman John Jay brought Stuart a letter of introduction to Washington.

1795

Washington sits for Stuart

Later that year Washington posed for him. Stuart painted him in a series of iconic portraits, each of which brought a demand for copies and kept him busy and highly paid for years.