Portrait, Hannah McClure Gaston

Miniature portrait of Hannah McClure Gaston (1785-1813); second wife of William Gaston. Watercolor on ivory, wood, glass, and gold. Oval, bust-length portrait of young woman facing right, with dark hair, in delicate white dress, in square, black-painted frame with gilt liner. Partial paper backing on reverse bears fragmentary "Pe" ink inscription.

Hannah McClure Gaston, the only surviving child of William McClure and his wife Hannah MacKilwean, was born in October 1785. At the age of 20, she became the second wife of New Bern lawyer and later state supreme court judge William Gaston, whom she married on 6 October, 1805. She was the mother of three children -- Alexander S., Susan Jane, and Hannah Margaret. She died on July 6, 1813, possibly due to complications with her latest pregnancy.
Collection ID: TP.2010.011.002