The Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum is located in Saunderstown,

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

Gilbert Stuart Gilbert Stuart ( Stewart; December 3, 1755 – July 9, 1828) was an American painter born in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Rhode Island Colony who is widely considered one of America's foremost portraitists. His best-k ...

, who was born on December 3, 1755, in the colonial-era house located on the property, became a famous American portraitist of the 18th and 19th centuries. The museum consists of the 1751 house in which Stuart was born, an operational snuff mill, an operational grist mill, a mill pond, streams, a fish ladder, 23 acres of nature trails, an herb garden, and a welcome center and art gallery containing paintings by both Gilbert Stuart and his daughter Jane Stuart.

History

The house on the property was built in 1751, and Gilbert Stuart lived there for six years. His father operated the family business in the basement of the house, where a water-powered snuff mill was located.Gilbert Stuart Birthplace
''Gilbert Stuart''. Accessed: 28 July 2007. He ground dried

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

leaves into snuff, a fine powder used widely in the colonial era, and his was actually the first such mill in America. When Stuart was six years old, his family moved to

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

. The house served as a private residence and during the 18th century, and the snuff mill and water wheel were lost. In 1930, the building was restored to its colonial state by Norman Isham and was opened to the public as a museum in 1931. Many of the house's original wooden walls and beams remained intact. It also retained its original four corner fireplaces, one in each room in the house. An English snuff mill built in the early 1730s was transported to the property during the restoration, and it is considered faithful in design to the original snuff mill. In addition, a new water wheel was built and attached to the side of the house, allowing the mill to operate by water power from Pausacaco Pond (aka Carr Pond). An original colonial-era

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

was built in 1757 and owned by Benjamin Hammond, fitted with a water wheel. The mill remained inoperable until 2007, when the waterwheel was reconnected to the mill's operating gears. The site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.

Museum

The Gilbert Stuart Birthplace operates both docent-guided and self-guided tours of the birthplace and gristmill, and is open from May until mid-October. The house is furnished with original colonial furnishings in every room, though no piece of furniture is original to the house. Each room is also fitted with reproductions of Gilbert Stuart's most famous works, including the famous unfinished '' Athenaeum Portrait'' of

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

(which is portrayed on the one-dollar bill), '' The Skater'', ''Dr. Hunter's Spaniels'', ''

John Jay John Jay (, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, diplomat, signatory of the Treaty of Paris (1783), Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served from 1789 to 1795 as the first chief justice of the United ...

'', and '' Catherine Brass Yates''. Tours of the museum include the operation of the mills, explanation of the fish ladder, talks about the life and artwork of Gilbert Stuart, as well as some descriptions of the colonial furnishings and objects.

Junior docents

The Gilbert Stuart Birthplace used to operate a unique junior docent program, in which children and adolescents could volunteer to give interpretive tours of the museum dressed in colonial attire. The program was designed to teach children about history and the workings of a museum. The Junior docent program is no longer in operation.

Grounds

The Gilbert Stuart Birthplace is located on twenty-three acres of property. The museum features nature trails, which bring tourists to the site of an old colonial burial ground, the Benjamin Hammond cemetery, a scenic overlook of Carr Pond, and the foundation of a colonial fulling mill. The grounds also feature an herb garden, a timber dam, and a boat dock, from which rowboats can be rented by museum members for use on nearby Carr Pond.Woonsocket Connection
''Gilbert Stuart Birthplace''. Grounds. Accessed: 28 July 2007.

Bell Art Gallery

Built in 2014, the museum's art gallery contains original works by Gilbert Stuart, and portraits of Gilbert by his daughter, Jane Stuart. In addition to the regular display of works by Gilbert Stuart, the gallery also displays work by other prominent Rhode Island artists. Past exhibitions have included Jane Stuart: Heir to Genius in 2016, Edward Mitchell Bannister: "My Greatest Successes Have Come Through Her", the artistic partnership of Edward and Christiana Bannister in 2018, Mabel May Woodward: Chasing the Summer's Day in 2022, and Soul of the Sitter: Contemporary Portraiture in Rhode Island in 2023.

Images

Image:Gilbert Stuart Birthplace 2018.jpg, Gilbert Stuart Birthplace in March 2018 Image:Gilbert Stuart birthplace sign.jpg, Birthplace sign

References

External links

Official website''Gilbert Stuart''
a full text exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art {{National Register of Historic Places Houses completed in 1751 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island Museums in Washington County, Rhode Island History of New England National Historic Landmarks in Rhode Island Stuart, Gilbert Mill museums in the United States Tobacco buildings in the United States Art museums and galleries in Rhode Island Stuart Houses in Washington County, Rhode Island Stuart, Gilbert National Register of Historic Places in Washington County, Rhode Island 1751 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies Stuart