The First Sext

‘Beauty Revealed’ is a self-portrait by the American artist Sarah Goodridge (February 5, 1788 – December 28, 1853). Descendants of US Secretary of State Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) say Goodridge painted it for him. Why is unclear. But we can guess. Robert Remini, in his book Daniel Webster: The Man and His Time (1997), notes that after the death of his first wife and mother to his five children, Grace Fletcher, Webster was frequently the subject of rumours in Washington regarding his alleged promiscuity, many suspecting that the painter Sarah Goodridge, with whom he had a close relationship, was his mistress… read on >