Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 7 works by Jane Stuart in our catalogue
In short
Jane Stuart's best-known piece is Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry (1823). You'll find it at the Toledo Museum of Art in Toledo. Next on the list are A scene from Laurence Sterne's novel "A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy." (1834) and George Washington (1732-1799), after Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828) (1855). We have 7 works by Jane Stuart in our catalogue; this guide picks out the 6 best known, with the year, the museum and the story of each piece.
The 5 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Jane Stuart | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Harvard Art Museums |
Cambridge | 2 | George Washington (1732-1799), after Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828), Florence Sparks Moore (1845-1915) |
 Toledo Museum of Art |
Toledo | 1 | Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry |
| Vanderbilt Museum of Art | Nashville | 1 | A scene from Laurence Sterne's novel "A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy." |
 Birmingham Museum of Art |
Birmingham | 1 | Oliver Hazard Perry |
 Museum of Fine Arts |
Boston | 1 | Alicia Boylston |
Pick a decade to see its standout piece.
Top of the list is Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry (1823), Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo. Right behind it: A scene from Laurence Sterne's novel "A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy." (1834) and George Washington (1732-1799), after Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828) (1855).
11 years old. Jane Stuart was born in 1812, and Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry dates from 1823.
We have 7 works by Jane Stuart in our catalogue, dated 1823 to 1865.
You'll find most of them in Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge), Toledo Museum of Art (Toledo) and Vanderbilt Museum of Art (Nashville). The museum list above has the full breakdown.
In 1850s, more than any other time: 2 of the 6 pieces on this page date from then, George Washington (1732-1799), after Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828) among them.
The earliest piece here is Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry (1823); the most recent is Florence Sparks Moore (1845-1915) (1865).
You can see 2 of the pieces on this page at the Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, including George Washington (1732-1799), after Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828) and Florence Sparks Moore (1845-1915).
Yes. Every painting on this page is available as a hand-painted oil reproduction or a print, in the size that suits you. Just open the painting's page to order.
In a Boston studio during the early 19th century, a young girl watches the light shift across a canvas. She is not permitted to hold the brush or receive formal instruction. Instead, Jane Stuart spends her childhood grinding pigments and filling in the backgrounds of her father's large-scale works. Her father, Gilbert Stuart, believes that true talent requires no formal training, a philosophy that leaves Jane to learn the nuances of light and form through observation and the quiet labor of an assistant. She absorbs the mechanics of portraiture by watching him work, absorbing the subtle movements of a hand that will eventually define her own.
The atmosphere of the household is one of both artistic intensity and emotional weight. As the youngest of many children, Jane navigates a life shaped by her father's mental struggles and the sudden, heavy necessity of survival. When Gilbert Stuart dies, the family's financial stability vanishes. At sixteen, the responsibility of supporting her family falls to her. She moves from the role of an observer to a professional, establishing a studio in Boston to secure a livelihood through the very skills she was once forbidden to formally study.
Jane Stuart finds her niche in the delicate, precise world of miniature painting. While her father's reputation rests on large-scale oils, Jane masters the small-scale portrait, a medium requiring immense control and a steady hand. She becomes particularly known for her depictions of George Washington. These are not merely copies; they are interpretations of her father's famous likenesses. Her versions of Washington are highly sought after, with one notable example finding its place in the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Her technical skill allows her to navigate the transition from the studio of a master to a professional career in her own right. She works in oils and miniatures, capturing the likenesses of her era with a precision that rivals the men of her profession. Her move to Newport, Rhode Island, marks a significant chapter in her career. In this coastal town, she becomes the first woman to establish herself as a professional portrait painter, carving out a space for female artists in a landscape dominated by male contemporaries.
The trajectory of her life is marked by both resilience and loss. A fire in the 1850s destroys her Boston studio, consuming much of her work and the personal mementos of her father's life. This loss does not end her practice. She continues to paint, eventually becoming a well-known figure in Newport, often referred to as “Miss Jane.” Her life reflects the shifting social and economic realities of 19th-century America, moving from the intense, crowded domesticity of a famous artist's household to the independent life of a professional woman in a growing coastal community.
Her historical significance is tied to her ability to sustain a family and a career through sheer technical competence. She did not merely replicate the past; she translated the visual language of her father into a sustainable, professional practice. By the time of her death in 1888, she had transitioned from a girl grinding colors in the shadows of a master to a woman who had secured her own place in the history of American portraiture.
