Portrait of the Honorable Harrison Gray Otis (1765-1848) seated half-length view with body slightly turned. The ruddy-faced Otis wears a black dressing gown with fur collar and cuffs, and a fine white shirt with high neckcloth and pleated jabot. White waistcoat. He marks a book with index finger of right hand. Behind sitter at his right is a table with quill pen, inkwell, papers, and a book. Seated in red upholstered chair.
portraits
paintings (visual works)
oil paint (paint)
panels (wood)
Painting
This portrait of Harrison Gray Otis was completed in 1809 by famed portraitist Gilbert Stuart. At the time, Otis was serving his second term as Massachusetts Senate President. Otis is portrayed as a busy gentleman, hard at work although his clothing suggests refined leisure. Gilbert Stuart is most famous for his portraits of George Washington. Stuart painted a portrait of Sally Otis during the same year as a companion to this image of Harrison Gray Otis. Both portraits were likely on display at 45 Beacon Street, their home at the time of the paintings' creation, and descended through the family. This portrait now hangs at the Otis House in Boston, Massachusetts.
Otis, Harrison Gray, 1765-1848
Stuart, Gilbert (American painter, 1755-1828) (Artist)
Boston, MA, USA
40 3/4 x 37 x 4 (HxWxD) (inches)
Museum Purchase
1968.111
Morison, Samuel Eliot. Life of Otis. [No Publisher].
Massachusetts (United States)
Historic New England is committed to implementing reparative language description for existing collections and creating respectful and inclusive language description for new collections. If you encounter language in Historic England's Collections Access Portal that is harmful or offensive, or you find materials that would benefit from a content warning, please contact info@historicnewengland.org.
Sign up to our newsletter for our latest news and events
Loading...
