"Give Me
Liberty or Give Me Death!–Patrick Henry delivering his great speech on the
Rights of the Colonies, before the Virginia Assembly, convened at Richmond,
March 23rd, 1775. Concluding with the above sentiment, which became the war cry
of the Revolution"
Publisher: Currier
& Ives (American, active New York, 1857–1907)
Date: 1876
Medium: Hand-colored
lithograph
Accession Number: 63.550.388
Patrick
Henry was a key member of the American Revolution. He is most well remembered
for his speech entitled “”Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” which he delivered
at St. John’s Church located in Richmond, Virginia, in March of 1775. According
to many historians, Henry’s speech is what swung the common opinion of the
convention to send troops from Virginia to fight in the Revolutionary War. The
Revolutionary War officially began in April of 1775, right after Henry gave his
arousing speech. This painting shows Henry at one of the climaxes of his speech
rallying the delegates to his cause, and attempting to persuade them to join
the fight and oppose the mighty British. The artist clearly articulates this in
the painting, portraying Henry as an emphatic speaker, and as a leader in the
room. Without Henry, the delegates might not have sent the troops and started
the war, and this painting captures the importance of Henry’s leadership.
Benjamin Franklin
Artist: William P. Babcock
(1826–1899)
Artist: After Louis de
Carmontelle (French, Paris 1717–1806 Paris)
Date: ca. 1876
Medium: Oil on wood
Accession Number: 83.2.468
Ben
Franklin is one of the most memorable figures from the revolutionary time
period. Credited with multiple inventions, he is maybe most remembered for figuring
out electricity with his experiment of flying a kite during a storm. What is
forgotten about Franklin that by trade he was a printer. Franklin was one of
the first and most prominent printers to publish articles and papers on the
revolution. Franklin was one of the key voices of reason and idealists behind
the revolution. He helped draft the Declaration of Independence and was also an
important diplomat that negotiated for America. In this painting, Franklin is
shown sitting, with the Declaration of Independence beside him on a table. The
Declaration of Independence was largely a project of Franklin’s, and one of the
most important documents in American history. This painting shows the two
together, almost as if Franklin is sitting admiring his work. This painting
clearly captures Franklin’s brilliance and importance.
Artist: N.C Wyeth
Date: 1922,
Medium: Oil on
canvas
Museum: Collection
of The Hill School, Pottstown, PA
Paul Revere is another
one of the iconic figures from the American Revolution. This painting by Wyeth
captures the famous ride of Paul Revere, warning the people that the British
were coming. The artist captures the urgency and importance of the situation,
showing the horse in full gallop with wide eyes as if it has been on a long
hard journey that is not over yet. Paul Revere is most remembered for this
night even though he had an important role in other aspects of the revolution.
Wyeth captures his iconic ride because of its importance to American history
and because it is Revere’s most famous moment.
The Death Of General Warren At The Battle Of Bunker's
Hill, June 17, 1775
Date: 1786
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Location: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA,
USA
Joseph
Warren was one of the most versatile leaders of the revolution. A doctor by
trade, Warren served in a wide variety of roles during the American Revolution.
This painting by Trumbull captures one of his finest moments, and one that many
believe he should be remembered by. Warren had been named a general in the
American army, but chose to go into battle just like a common private. There he
was killed, in the Battle of Bunker Hill. You can see the significance of
Warren in several ways. First, his troops are protecting his dead body. Second,
one of the leaders of the British army is holding back his troops from further
harming Warren as he is dying in the arms of one of his soldiers. One of the
most beloved figures in the Revolution, this painting shows the importance of
Warren even though he considered himself a common soldier. It also shows how
much he meant to the revolution, as his soldiers are clearly distressed that
Warren has fallen.
Alexander
Hamilton
Artist:
John
Trumbull (American, Lebanon, Connecticut 1756–1843 New York)
Date:
1792
Medium:
Oil
on canvas
Accession
Number: 2013.454
Hamilton
tends to get lost in the background when talking about heroes from the American
Revolution. Hamilton was George Washington’s right hand man. He was also one of
the best interpreters of the U.S Constitution and the first Secretary of the
Treasury. Here Trumbull has Hamilton
standing beside a document with a pen and quill. Trumbull is portraying the
fact that Hamilton was influential in laying the groundwork for many important
documents and policies for America. While he never saw the battlefield,
Hamilton impacted the country in numerous ways using his writing ability and
his brilliance. Trumbull captures both of those qualities in this painting.
Artist: John Trumbull
(American, Lebanon, Connecticut 1756–1843 New York)
Date: ca. 1792–94
Medium: Oil on canvas
Accession Number: 22.45.94
One
of the most important figures in the revolution, Trumbull paints Washington for
exactly what he was. Washington was a crucial leader who stepped up when
America needed him to and led the colonies to a shocking victory over the
British. In this picture Trumbull portrays Washington as a calm, collected,
strategic leader. He is looking on before the battle, which can almost be shown
by the dark storm clouds in the background. While everyone else in the painting
seems to be nervous, even the horse, Washington looks very relaxed, as if he is
contemplating carefully his next move. This portrayal is indicative of
Washington during the war. As all of the colonies scrambled about nervously, Washington was a uniting factor who brought
the colonies together and led them to an improbable victory. These qualities
are well shown by Trumbull in this painting.
No comments:
Post a Comment