Miniature Portrait, William Gaston

Miniature portrait of William Gaston (1778 - 1844) by James Peale; watercolor on ivory, glass, gold and hair; probably Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; signed and date: "IP/ 1796." Bust-length portrait of young man facing right, with brown eyes and powdered brown hair, in black coat, with white neck cloth & cravat.

William Gaston was the son of Alexander Gaston and his wife, Margaret Sharpe; he graduated from Princeton with highest honors in 1796, admitted to the bar in 1798; and was later made Doctor of Laws by the University of North Carolina and Princeton University; wrote the verses of Old North State Forever. Gaston was at the heart of the small but staunch Catholic population of North Carolina in the late 18th century and early 19th century. The first organized mass was held in his home in New Bern in 1821. He later became a judge and prominent statesman.
This portrait was likely painted by Peale in Philadelphia following Gaston's graduation from Princeton in 1796.

Collection ID: TP.2010.011.001