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Artist
Cephas Thompson, 1 Jul 1775 - 6 Nov 1856
Former attribution
John Vanderlyn, 15 Oct 1775 - 23 Sep 1852
Sitter
Elizabeth Washington Gamble Wirt, 30 Jan 1784 - 24 Jan 1857
Date
c. 1809-10
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Frame: 111.1 x 94.6 x 6.4cm (43 3/4 x 37 1/4 x 2 1/2")
Topic
Interior
Elizabeth Washington Gamble Wirt: Female
Elizabeth Washington Gamble Wirt: Literature\Writer
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
S/NPG.89.12
Exhibition Label
Born Richmond, Virginia
Elizabeth Washington Gamble, daughter of Robert and Catherine Gamble of Richmond, Virginia, became William Wirt’s second wife in 1802. They inherited a house in Richmond in 1808, around the time these portraits were painted. Originally in the rectangular format typical of Cephas Thompson’s work, the paintings were later trimmed to their present oval shape and reframed.
Elizabeth Wirt was highly educated. She later utilized her knowledge of Latin to prepare a manuscript of favorite quotations about flowers, which she published anonymously as Flora’s Dictionary in 1829. The book contributed to the popularization of floriography, the language of flowers in which specific meanings are attributed to different blooms. Subsequent editions identified the author as “Mrs. E. W. Wirt of Virginia.”
