# John Gadsby, Jr.

**Anson Dickinson** (born Milton, CT 1779-died Litchfied, CT 1852)  
ca. 1829  
watercolor on ivory  
sight 2 3/8 x 2 in. (6.0 x 5.1 cm) oval

Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1950.4.7. [The museum's record](https://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=6804).

## About this work

John Gadsby Jr. was the son of the famous tavern keeper, John Gadsby, owner of Gadsby’s Tavern in Alexandria, Virginia. The tavern hosted Thomas Jefferson’s inaugural dinner and “birthright” balls to honor George Washington’s birthday. This work was painted in Washington, D.C., where Dickinson was based at the time. The painting was originally a stickpin, mounted on a long pin that was pushed through the fabric of the wearer’s cravat.

_Text from the Smithsonian American Art Museum._

Anson Dickinson painted this in about 1829, aged 50. It is now at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC.

### How it was made

- **Watercolour on ivory.** Thin sheets of ivory gave watercolour a luminous, skin-like glow, which made them the favourite support for portrait miniatures from the early 1700s.
- **Watercolour.** Pigment in gum arabic, thinned with water and laid in transparent washes. Nothing white is painted: the light is the paper showing through.

### [Anson Dickinson](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/anson-dickinson)

born Milton, CT 1779-died Litchfied, CT 1852

## Facts

- Type: Painting-Miniature
- The artist was 50
- Real size: about 2½ × 2 in (6 × 5 cm). The original is small: even the 8 × 10 in print shows it larger than life.
- Century: 19th century
- Subjects: Men, Portraits
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1896.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1896/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/john-gadsby-jr-si-saam-1950-4-7).