George Washington — “The President of the United States”
After Joseph Wright
Published March 1791
Frame: 8¼ x 6 inches; sight: 6¾ x 4¼ inches
 
A finely engraved oval portrait of George Washington in right-facing profile after the likeness by the American painter Joseph Wright. The composition presents Washington in military uniform set against a delicately stippled ground, the subtle tonal halo behind the head providing emphasis to the sitter within the restrained oval format.
 
The engraving was issued in March 1791 in The Massachusetts Magazine; or, Monthly Museum of Knowledge and Rational Entertainment, published in Boston by Isaiah Thomas and Ebenezer T. Andrews. Portraits of Washington appearing in early American periodicals played an important role in establishing and disseminating the public image of the nation’s first president during the formative years of the Federal period.
 
Condition: Very fine with even light toning.