Gilbert Stuart's Martha Washington, Valley Forge, PA, circa 1905
- Subject
- Portraits
- Card type
- Printed photo
- Date
- c. 1905 (Early)
About this postcard
A bust portrait of Martha Washington in a high powdered coiffure and pale dress, set in an oval vignette against dark shading. The image has the soft, chalky look of an 18th-century pastel, and the printed caption credits the painter Gilbert Stuart, who portrayed her in Philadelphia in 1796; that likeness, left unfinished, became the standard image of her for later generations. Martha Dandridge Custis Washington was in her mid-sixties when Stuart painted her, and the powdered hair and plain gown belong to the fashion of the young republic rather than the colonial years of her youth. The card was issued by Mrs. B. V. Brown of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, the ground of the Continental Army's winter encampment, where mementos of the Washington era found a steady market among visitors.
Postcard Details
No address detected
Postcard record
| Publisher | Mrs. B. V. Brown |
|---|---|
| Condition | Good |
| Place mentioned | The Albertype Co., Brooklyn, NY |
| Publisher | Mrs. B. V. Brown, Valley Forge, PA |
| Notes | No printed text on front; sepia reproduction with visible halftone/grain texture. A faint horizontal line runs across the middle of the image, and there is a small chip at the upper right corner. No postmark; no handwriting; undivided back; orange textured stock; printed caption on back: "Portrait of Martha Washington by Gilbert Stuart"; Albertype imprint: "THE FINEST AMERICAN MADE VIEW POST CARDS—THE ALBERTYPE CO., BROOKLYN, N.Y."; published by Mrs. B. V. Brown, Valley Forge, Pa. |
Cite this card
Gilbert Stuart's Martha Washington, Valley Forge, PA, circa 1905, postcard, c. 1905. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/gilbert-stuarts-martha-washington-valley-forge-pa-circa-1905. Accessed November 2, 2026.