Happy Fourth of July!

Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, American, 1816-1868


George Washington Crossing the Delaware, 1851
Oil on Canvas; 12 2/5 x 21 1/4 in.

In honor of the Fourth of July, I thought it appropriate to post a classic image of one of the forefathers of the United States, George Washington.

The subject of this painting is the historic moment when General George Washington and the revolutionary troops crossed the Delaware River in order to surprise the English and Hessian troops in the Battle of Trenton (December 26, 1776). This painting is often used to show an emotional and patriotic moment in the history of the United States of America. Leutze began his first version of the work in 1849, which was burnt by a fire in his studio, restored in 1850, and eventually destroyed by a bombing raid in 1942. In 1850, he began this version of the subject, which was placed on exhibition in New York in 1851, where it was purchased for $10,000 by Marshall O. Roberts. Many artists have copied this work and created various studies of the painting.

May inspiration and creativity be with you!