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George Washington, 1732-1799
The Patriae Pater, the "Father of His Country": George Washington was the essential figure in winning the Revolutionary War and establishing the United States of America. Through the strength of his character, his willpower and his abilities, Washington was able to unite the diverse colonial interests into a national purpose. It was inevitable that he would be America's first chief executive, chosen unanimously in the first presidential election of 1788. Essential to the projection of Washington's authority was the work of artists like Gilbert Stuart and Charles Willson Peale, who created images of the Virginian from iconic oil paintings to drawings, etchings, and woodcuts that could be widely disseminated to the public. Through these images, Washington was not only celebrated by the American people but his authority as a military and political leader was recognized and reinforced. Image-making played an essential role in legitimizing the new US government and its construction.
Here, Charles Willson Peale depicts Washington on the field at Yorktown, the battle that ended the Revolutionary War. It was commissioned by the Marquis de Chastellux, a staff officer to the Marquis de Rochambeau, the commander of the French troops in America.
Charles Willson Peale, c 1780-82
Lent by the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas |