Public data from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Learn more
Wilson Cary Nicholas
About the Artwork
Wilson Cary Nicholas was born January 31, 1761, into a politically powerful family from Williamsburg, Virginia. In 1781, he left William and Mary College to join the Continental Army, in which he commanded George Washington’s lifeguard until it was disbanded in 1783. As a member of the Constitutional Convention, he returned to Virginia to campaign for the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in that state, where it passed by a margin of only ten votes. He then served several terms in the House of Delegates before being elected to the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. He became the governor of Virginia in 1814, retiring in 1819 due to poor health and spending his remaining days in the home of his son-in-law, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, President Thomas Jefferson’s grandson. He died on October 20, 1820, and is buried at Monticello, the president’s former estate.
Provenance
family of the sitter, to Mrs. Leonard Hewett, Louisville, Kentucky (1926). Emeline Brownlee, Fairfield, Connecticut (1966). Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Moseley.
Exhibition history
Signs of Affection: Gifts Honoring the Museum's 75th Anniversary. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 27, 1992-January 3, 1993).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Gilbert Stuart (American, born The Thirteen Colonies, 1755–1828)
- Date
- c. 1805
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Unframed: 72.8 x 59.8 cm (28 11/16 x 23 9/16 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- American Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Moseley
- Accession no.
- 1992.305
More by Gilbert Stuart in museum collections
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00010171
Powered by Art Trackers