General Washington

Valentine Green|John Trumbull|Valentine Green|George Washington

January 15, 1781 · Hand-colored mezzotint; after second state · Drawings and Prints

Engraved and published in London, this hand-colored mezzotint by the British engraver Green is based on an important early portrait of Washington by the American artist Trumbull (also in the Museum's collection (24.109.88)). Wearing military uniform, the general stands on a bluff overlooking the Hudson River with a Black figure assumed to be William Lee–his enslaved valet, groom and military aide. Trumbull had served on Washington's staff as an aide-de-camp early in the Revolutionary War, then traveled to London in 1780 to pursue his artistic career. The image he created from memory was the first authoritative portrayal of Washington widely available in Europe and soon engraved. Trumbull would have known Lee from his wartime service, yet chose to depict him unnaturalistically in a turban, based on European "orientalist" convention associated with Black figures. An accurate visual portrait of Lee–who Washington freed and granted an annuity in his will–is unknown.

Artist

Valentine Green|John Trumbull|Valentine Green|George Washington

Date

January 15, 1781

Medium

Hand-colored mezzotint; after second state

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Bequest of Charles Allen Munn, 1924