George Washington before the Battle of Trenton

John Trumbull

ca. 1792–94 · Oil on canvas · The American Wing

George Washington sat for Trumbull in Philadelphia in 1792; from that sitting, the artist created a fullsize canvas (Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.) and this smaller version. The general is shown on the evening before the pivotal Battle of Trenton in late 1776. He looks upward, conceiving his strategy against the vastly superior approaching enemy. The significance of the moment is expressed in the drama of the threatening sky and by the excitable horse, held in check by a soldier groom.

Artist

John Trumbull

Date

ca. 1792–94

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Bequest of Grace Wilkes, 1922