William Brent

William Brent, later a member of the Fifth Revolutionary Convention, sat for this portrait with artist John Wollaston sometime around 1755. Between 1755 and 1757, Wollaston, a minor portrait artist from London, painted more than sixty portraits of wealthy Virginians. London-trained artists did not frequently travel to Virginia, which might explain Wollaston's popularity. Brent commissioned a portrait of himself and his wife and likely hosted Wollaston in his home. The portrait is currently held in the Booth Family Center for Special Collections at Georgetown University.