Notes
William Wirt (1772–1834) wrote Patrick Henry's first biography titled "Sketches of the Life and Character of Patrick Henry" (1817). He also had an active career in law and politics, serving as clerk of the Virginia House of Delegates, chancellor of the Eastern District of Virginia, prosecuting attorney in the Aaron Burr trial, and U.S. Attorney General under the presidencies of James Monroe and John Adams. He was married twice and had twelve children.
This miniature is one of a set of two portraits painted by Anson Dickinson (1779–1852) of William Wirt and his second wife, Elizabeth Gamble Wirt (1784-1857) (2023.14.3) on June 16 and 24, 1828, respectively. An itinerant American artist, Dickinson specialized in miniatures and created at least 1,500 of them during his career. He traveled up and down the Eastern seaboard, capturing the likenesses of prominent figures of the time, including Edward Livingston, George Washington (not from life), and various members of Congress.
The four miniatures in this accession passed through William and Elizabeth Wirt's descendants. They were in the possession of their great-great-granddaughter, Cynthia L'Engle Baker (1911–1967) of Jacksonville, Florida, at some point during the 20th century. They were purchased from the Baker family by the Patrick Henry Descendants' Branch and donated to the Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation on February 24, 2023.