Captain Charles Stewart

Thomas Sully

National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a man in a naval officer's uniform standing, facing us. He has light skin, thin blond hair, a long nose, deep-set eyes, and thin lips in a slight smile. He wears a black jacket with a wide collar and lines of gold decoration, gold buttons, and gold caps on the shoulders. Under the jacket he wears a high-necked white shirt or cravat and long white trousers. On the left, he holds a rolled-up white document on a table covered in red fabric. On the right, he holds what looks like a long, curved sword by his side, the scabbard black with gold detailing. The walls on the right and the ground below him are a light brown color, while the walls on the left seem to be covered in dark red fabric. Brown books and a black-and-gold hat sit on the table on the left, next to the rolled scroll.