| TITLE
| Washington Allston |
| CREATOR | Harding, Chester, 1792-1866 |
| DATE | 1828 |
| DIMENSIONS | 30 x 25 in. |
| ORIGINAL FORMAT | Painting |
| MEDIUM | Oil on canvas |
| DONOR | Gift of Friends of the Athenæum, Elisha Dyer and others, through the efforts of Mrs. Edward B. Hall |
| DATE OF ACCESSION | 1859 |
| LOCATION | Providence Athenæum: Art Room |
This portrait of the American painter and poet Washington Allston was completed in 1828 by Chester Harding, an artist best known for his society portraits. From 1818-1823, Harding traveled and painted throughout America, earning enough to afford a journey to Europe, where he was well received.
Allston was a notable American Romantic painter, known for his use of light and vivid color. Born in South Carolina, he spent most of his childhood in Newport, where he met fellow painter Edward Malbone. Allston wrote a book of poems, a gothic novel, and after his death, his theories on art were published. After several years in London and Boston, he settled in Cambridgeport in 1830. The nearby town of Allston, Massachusetts is named after him.
Allston’s portrait was donated to the Athenæum in 1859 by a group of proprietors organized by Mrs. Edward B. Hall, who had known Allston in her youth. Members of the Board described the portrait as “beautifully executed by a celebrated artist, of a man eminent for his genius among American poets and painters, and in whose fame and estimable character, Rhode Island has a special interest and gratification.”