James Barton Longacre, 11 Aug 1794 - 1 - William Augustine Washington - c. 1835 - T-Shirt

This is a bust-length painted portrait of William Augustine Washington, shown in a pale uniform with blue facings, silver buttons and a black cross-belt.

Visual Elements & Composition

A warm brown ground, lightly textured with brushwork, fills the background and sits behind the sitter's pale grey-white coat. Deep navy facings run down the front and across the lapels, and small light buttons line the coat in a single row. A white frilled jabot falls at the throat, and a black leather cross-belt crosses the chest diagonally to a silver buckle. A fringed silver epaulette rests on the left shoulder. The sitter's steady, level gaze faces the viewer head-on, and the modelling is soft and even, with white highlights picked out on the buttons and buckle.

Meaning & Symbolism

The uniform, cross-belt and epaulette mark the sitter as a military officer. The record names him as a nephew of George Washington, who served as a cavalry officer in the Continental Army during the War of Independence. Officer portraits in this formal, frontal format recorded military service and the honour attached to it, presenting the sitter as a figure of the revolutionary generation. The painting is credited to James Barton Longacre, a Philadelphia engraver who became Chief Engraver of the United States Mint in 1844, and it is dated to around 1835. The original is held in the National Portrait Gallery collection.

On the Unisex Heavy Cotton Tee

A bust portrait centres on the chest, so the sitter's uniform sits directly over the wearer's own chest when the tee is worn. The cross-belt runs across the front of the shirt the way it crosses the painted figure, and the brown ground frames the upper body. The formal, frontal pose suits a flat front print that reads clearly at conversation distance.