George Washington Esq.
Date1775
After
Alexander Campbell
Engraver
Unknown
Publisher
C. Shepherd
(English, active c.1775)
Subject
George Washington
(American, 1732 - 1799)
Geography
Made -
England
Medium/TechniqueInk on paper; mezzotint and line engraving.
DimensionsOverall (H x W): 13 1/4 in. x 9 3/4 in. (33.66 cm x 24.77 cm)
Plate: Unknown, print has been trimmed significantly.
Image (H x W): 13 3/4 in. x 9 3/4 in. (32.29 cm x 24.77cm)
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley DeForest Scott, 1985
Object numberSC-3
DescriptionFictional equestrian portrait of General George Washington on the back of a rearing, dark horse. Washington wears a tri-cornered hat and a military uniform with a coat, sashes across his chest and around his waist, a gorget, and boots that come up above his knees. He holds a sword in his right hand, and the reins of the horse in his left An unknown pair of objects hangs from Washington’s waist The horse casts a wide-eyed glance toward the viewer as it spews saliva from its mouth. A battle unfolds to the viewer’s right. The troops to the left carry a flag with horizontal stripes, presumed to be the United States flag, and engage an unidentified enemy to the right. The enemy casualties are visible as corpses lying on the ground and include a figure that looks like a large plucked and cleaned fowl. A river or stream is visible just under and behind the horse at a near distance. A small cluster of trees frames the left of the image. The print has been trimmed considerably. Published ReferencesWendy Wick, George Washington: An American Icon (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service [SITES] and the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 1982), 18-22.
Charles Henry Hart, Catalogue of the Engraved Portraits of Washington (New York: The Grolier Club, 1904), Hart 31, 305.
William S. Baker, The Engraved Portraits of Washington (Philadelphia: Lindsay & Baker, 1880), Baker 46, 33-34.
MarkingsPrinted below image: "Done from an Original, Drawn from the Life by Alex.r Campbell of Williamsburgh in Virginia. / George Washington. Esqr. / General and Commander in Chief of the Continental Army in America. / Published as the Act directs, 9 Septr. 1775 by C. Shepherd.".
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c. 1850-1865
c. 1914
c. 1780-1790
c. 1743
