Needlepoint portrait of George Washington (based on the Landsdowne portrait by Gilbert Stewart) (Still Image)

Needlepoint portrait of George Washington (based on the Landsdowne portrait by Gilbert Stewart)

Keach, Emily

42 x 54", framed needlepoint

This needlepoint portrait of George Washington is a copy of Gilbert Stewart’s “Lansdowne” portrait which was the portrait Dolley Madison saved from the British during the War of 1812 . This reproduction was made in 1840 by Mrs Emily Keach of Sandy Hill, NY and took her over 12 months to complete. Mrs. Keach gave this portrait to Thomas Blackman Wheeler (her daughter’s husband) who in turn passed it on to his son Henry Wheeler. Henry Wheeler’s daughter, Marguerite Wheeler Patchen, was a teacher in the laboratory school of WestConn, and after inheriting the portrait from her Father, donated it with her sister (Annie O. Wheeler) to the College on September 1, 1969. In the fall of 2021, the piece was removed from the frame to replace the acidic lining material around the frame. Photos were taken of the verso which reveal the original bright colors of the work. Using Photoshop, the verso was superimposed on an image of the front to provide an idea of what the piece originally looked like.

1840

Washington, George, 1732-1799