A Visit To The Birthplace Of The Painter Of The Most Reproduced Portrait Of All Time

This past September I was in Rhode Island and was treated to a visit to the birthplace of Gilbert Stuart, one of the first great American portrait painters.

Mr. Stuart is responsible for the portrait of George Washington that has graced every U.S. dollar bill printed in the past century, and thus is the painter of the most reproduced portrait in recorded history.

Gilbert Stuart's birthplace is now a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public from may through October. It sits on 22 acres, and features a small gift shop/museum, the home Gilbert Stuart was born in (built by his father in 1750) filled with period furnishings and reproductions of a number of Gilbert Stuarts paintings.

There is also an original colonial-era gristmill and a circa 1730's English snuff mill (complete with waterwheel) that was brought in to replace the snuff mill Gilbert Stuart's father had built in 1750 that had been removed in the 18th century.

                                       Conveniently located on Gilbert Stuart road.

          The large, barn like original home of the Stuart family, as well as the gristmill and museum

                                   The original gristmill with a recently restored waterwheel

                              There is a period-correct herb garden maintained on the grounds

           The small colonial-era Benjamin Hammond cemetery is located along s short hiking trail

                          Carr pond, which has a dock from which row boats can be rented

The guided tour of the museum, gristmill, and home are interesting, and the Docent who accompanied us was very informative about the life of Gilbert Stuart - but the true attraction of the place is the historically accurate slice of what life was like on the east coast of the United States prior to the actual founding of the United States. 

It's a way-back experience without all the complications of time travel.