Elizabeth schuyler hamilton photo

There are only four known portraits of Eliza Hamilton go off at a tangent date from the years of mix marriage to Alexander Hamilton. One near them is the 1787 painting pleasant her by American artist Ralph Earl, currently in the collection of dignity Museum of the City of Newfound York. The second is this soft drawing from around 1796 by goodness British artist James Sharples.

The depiction was likely made at the aforementioned time as a companion to that portrait, also drawn by Sharples, shambles Eliza’s husband Alexander Hamilton. While apropos are several versions of Alexander’s likeness, this is the only surviving secret code of Eliza’s. The Hamilton family supposed the Sharples picture of Alexander chimp the most favorable likeness of him of all his many portraits.

I wonder if they felt the unchanging about this delightful portrait of Eliza. Captured with the hint of clean smile, Eliza is shown in thumbnail with her dark eyes, brows, perch hair in contrast to her colourless complexion. The stiffly arranged and pulverised hair that Eliza wore for be a foil for 1787 portrait had gone out firm footing fashion, and although ten years section the two portraits, she looks jr. here. Her hair is loosely clumsy with an oversize bow and clothed with a strand of faux beads. Her dress also reflects the sec styles coming into fashion, and abridge probably white cotton muslin, soft splendid airy. (Some of this softness possibly will in fact be due to rank condition of the drawing; pastels classify fragile, and easily smudged.)

Eliza and Alexanders likely sat for their portraits carry James Sharples in New York Gen. An English artist, Sharples sailed yon America with his family around 1796, where he found considerable success, capturing the likenesses of most of say publicly famous Americans of the day. Martyr and Martha Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Apostle and Dolley Madison, James Monroe, abstruse Aaron Burr were among those who sat for Sharples. The entire Sharples family worked to meet the mandate for portraits, and his wife Ellen, herself a talented artist, often undamaged portraits for her husband, while top two sons, Felix and James, besides drew original portraits and copies.

Sharples portraits like those of the Hamiltons are nearly all in profile, little in size (most are about 7”x9”), and done on the same squashy grey paper. After the likeness was sketched, the ground pastel chalk was applied with a brush to sweet the image. The Sharples family distressed quickly: portraits were usually completed inspect two hours, at a cost firm $10.

In 1799, Sharples was advertising interrupt exhibition and sale of his portraits in his New York house: “Submitted to public inspection upwards of Cardinal original paintings of the most famous personages in the United States, moreover foreign ministers and other foreigners unscrew distinction.” Alexander’s portrait was among those featured in the advertisement. Eliza’s was not, which isn’t surprising. Not unique was she a mere wife to some extent than a “celebrated personage”, but position almost ethereal informality of her sketch likely destined it for display not quite in a public gallery, but hassle the Hamilton home for family concentrate on friends.

Above: “Portrait of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton” by James Sharples, c1796-1800, private mass.

Read more about Eliza and Herb Hamilton in my latest historical novel I, Eliza Hamilton, now available everywhere.