In his book Washington’s Crossing, author David Hackett Fischer states there is probably no more patriotic painting in American than the image of George Washington, standing in a rowboat crossing the Delaware River to attack the British and Hessian forces on Christmas Eve.
The painting was completed in 1850, and currently hangs in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. It features thirteen people in a rowboat, including Washington, and the characters span a wide variety of types.
Many Different People Portrayed in Boat
Fischer lists those present, including Lt. James Monroe, who stands behind Washington, an African-American in a New England sailor’s outfit, a woman in men’s clothing, a Scot in a Balmoral helmet, a bandaged soldier, a couple of frontiersman, and one of the figures is nearly completely obscured.
The concept of the painting is that they are all together in the boat, a metaphor for the Revolution, which drew together disparate and quite different individuals in a common cause
The painter, Emmanuel Leutze, was a German-American immigrant with a strong love of freedom. He had supported the European revolutions of 1848, which caused tremendous change in Europe, in part fueled by the incendiary work Das Kapital by Karl Marx.
Painting Done in Europe With American Tourists as Models
Fischer tells how Leutze ended up painting the work in Europe, using American tourists as models, and at first, he only had Washington and two others in the boat. It was painted in primary colors, and portrayed a bright future, as the early study suggests.
When the revolutions in Europe turned bloody and violent his mood changed, and the painting centered more on the process of struggle rather than a triumphant victory, with a somber feel. It is interesting how he chose such a scene as the crossing, rather than Washington and his men in battle, for example.
Painting Nearly Destroyed in Studio Fire
Right after he finished the painting, a fire broke out in his studio and damaged the work in a curious way. The smoke and heat blurred only two faces in the painting, Washington and Monroe’s, leaving the rest of the faces crystal clear.
Even in such a damaged state it was displayed by the insurance company who took possession of it, and subsequently won a gold medal. The painting was highly revered in Europe, but did not survive to this day.
It ended up in the Bremen Art Museum in Germany, where the British Royal Air Force destroyed it during an air raid in World War II, probably in revenge for the defeat in America a hundred and seventy years early, jokes Fischer.
The Painter Re-creates Work and Sends it to New York
After the fire, Leutze painted a new version and shipped it to America, where it caused an immediate sensation in 1850. Over 50,000 people turned out to see the work, including novelist Henry James, who was only eight at the time.
He stated that he “gaped responsive at every item, lost in the marvel of wintry light, of the sharpness of the ice-blocks, the sickness of the sick soldier.” Most of all he was inspired by the upright image of Washington, pressing on across the dangerous river to fight one of the best armies in the world.
Painting Dismissed and Scorned Over the Years
The American public loved the painting, despite the tendency of high-brow art reviewers to say it was not that great.
It shows up in countless copies and is imprinted on every imaginable product, including dinner plates, placemats, key chains, and coffee mugs. It was satirized in cartoons such as Nixon Crossing the Delaware, Ronald Reagan Crossing the Caribbean, Feminists Crossing the Rubicon, and Multi-Culturalists Rocking Boat, to mention a few.
In the end, Washington Crossing the Delaware will thrive in the hearts and minds of freedom loving people around the world, despite being dismissed by many critics.
Source
- Fischer, David Hackett , Washington's Crossing, 2004, 577 pp, Oxford University Press
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