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John Laurens, 1754-1782
Serving as an aide-de-camp to General George Washington, John Laurens demonstrated bravery, even recklessness, in battle. Taken prisoner in May 1780, he commissioned this tiny portrait in Philadelphia following his parole, probably as a memento for his wife, who was living in England with their young daughter. In 1781, Laurens obtained France's commitment to station a fleet off the American coast, enabling Washington's army to defeat the British forces at Yorktown.
Charles Willson Peale, 1780 |