George Washington

After Charles Willson Peale (American, 1741 - 1827)

Collections

American Paintings Selections

ClassificationsPAINTINGS

Dateafter 1779

Mediumoil on canvas

Dimensions78 x 43 1/2 in. (198.1 x 110.5 cm.) frame: 87 1/2 x 51 x 4 1/4 in. (222.3 x 129.5 x 10.8 cm.)

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens Henry E. Huntington Bequest

Status

On view

Label TextCharles Willson Peale depicted General George Washington, commander in chief of the Continental Army, after the Battle of Princeton, New Jersey, a decisive victory over the British that took place on January 3, 1777. Peale portrayed the general as relaxed, but with a commanding presence and attentive stare. At Washington's feet are flags of the forces he defeated, symbolic of his skills as a military leader. In the background, a line of prisoners parades in front of Princeton University's Nassau Hall. Peale created many replicas of this painting for patrons in the United States and Europe. The Huntington's version is probably a copy based on Peale's work, perhaps by a French artist.

Peale was in a unique position to paint Washington at Princeton because he had himself fought in the battle as a lieutenant in the Philadelphia militia. In his diary entry from the day of the engagement, the artist reported firing on British troops while the enemy's bullets "whistled their thousand different notes around our heads."

Object number19.13

Exhibitions

American Made: Selections from The Huntington's Early American Art Collections

Nineteen Nineteen