George Washington was the commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and served two terms as the first president of the United States. Born in Virginia, he worked as a surveyor and fought in the French and Indian War (1754-63), but his real passion was his estate, Mount Vernon, an 8,000 acre property where he grew crops such as wheat and corn and experimented with methods of land conservation. Washington served as a delegate to the First Continental Congress in 1774, and was made commander in chief of the Continental Army a year later. His leadership kept the colonial army unified during the eight-year struggle, and as a result, he was elected as the first president of the United States in 1789. On November 5 of that same year, President Washington visited Lexington and dined at the Munroe Tavern. After two terms, he retired to Mount Vernon in 1797, where he died only two years later. This painting is a copy of Gilbert Stuart’s iconic original portrait, which depicts Washington turned slightly to the left with a wide jaw – in part due to his new set of false teeth – and serious, yet forceful appearance. Stuart conducted three live sittings with Washington, which he then used as the basis for about one hundred portraits of the president; this particular pose – known as ‘The Athenaeum’ after the Boston library that purchased the original – was the most widely reproduced.