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Washington Family
Edward Savage, c 1840s
This painting, reproduced widely in the nineteenth century, captures the popular idea of an American empire moving westward. The Washington family is arranged around a table on which is displayed the L'Enfant Plan; behind them is the westward-pointing, commerce-laden Potomac River.
Washington rests his arm on his step-grandson George Washington Parke Custis, symbol of a rising generation, who in turn rests his hand on a globe that is turned to show the west coast of North America and the Pacific Ocean beyond. For centuries, the inclusion of the globe in paintings had been a symbol of empire. |