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In December 1776, General Washington and his army were forced to flee into Pennsylvania and an English victory seemed imminent. In a bold military move, Washington ferried his men across the Delaware River on Christmas Eve, surprising British troops and capturing nine hundred of them. Two figures besides Washington can be identified: Prince Whipple a black patriot kneeling at Washington’s knee, and James Monroe, who holds the flag. Monroe, a scout and advisor to the future president, was not present at the event; his own correspondence places him at another location on December 24. The artist’s friend Worthington Whittredge was the model for Washington. [1]
Like many history painters, Leutze dramatized the actual episode in order to capture the excitement and heighten the symbolism, and in doing so has created a few inaccuracies. The boat is unrealistically small and it is unlikely that Washington would have endangered himself by standing up. The crossing took place in the dead of night in a snowstorm, but Leutze shows morning light instead. The ice resembles shapes typical of the Rhine River, not the Delaware. Additionally, the flag, designed by Betsy Ross, did not come into existence until six months after the crossing.
Leutze may have had two contemporary events in mind when he painted this heroic image of the American Revolution: the 1848 uprisings that swept Germany and the growing sectionalism in the United States. For Americans Washington Crossing the Delaware was a reminder of a glorious past when America was united against England.
Notes:
[1] See Barbara S. Groseclose, Emanuel Leutze, 1816-1868: Freedom Is the Only King (Washington: National Collection of Fine Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, 1975).
ProvenanceTo 1983
Barbara B. Millhouse, New York, NY and Winston-Salem, NC [1]
From 1983
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC, given by Barbara B. Millhouse on December 29, 1983. [2]
Notes:
[1] Deed of Gift, object file.
[2] See note 1.
Exhibition History2017
Samuel F.B. Morse's Gallery of the Louvre and the Art of Invention
Reynolda House Museum of American Art (02/17/2017 - 06/04/2017)
Published References
DepartmentAmerican Art
Washington Crossing the Delaware
Artistafter
Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze
(1816 - 1868)
Date1866
Mediumhand-colored lithograph
DimensionsFrame: 28 1/4 x 34 1/4 in. (71.8 x 87 cm)
Image (without text): 16 3/4 x 24 1/4 in. (42.5 x 61.6 cm)
Image (with text): 19 1/2 x 25 1/4 in. (49.5 x 64.1 cm)
SignedC. Inger litho
Credit LineGift of Barbara B. Millhouse
CopyrightPublic Domain
Object number1983.2.40
DescriptionEmanuel Leutze’s Washington Crossing the Delaware gained fame and recognition through the wide circulation of engravings based on the monumental canvas. The original painting was created in Düsseldorf, but burned in a fire and had to be repainted. The dramatic composition shows George Washington standing on a crowded boat crossing an ice-filled river. He is surrounded by eleven men and is accompanied by other boats and troops in the background. At the center of the composition is a silhouetted American flag, which makes the patriotic message of the image clear. While this lithograph by Philadelphia-based Christian Inger faithfully reproduces the original, it lacks the dramatic light, color, and animation of the large oil painting. In December 1776, General Washington and his army were forced to flee into Pennsylvania and an English victory seemed imminent. In a bold military move, Washington ferried his men across the Delaware River on Christmas Eve, surprising British troops and capturing nine hundred of them. Two figures besides Washington can be identified: Prince Whipple a black patriot kneeling at Washington’s knee, and James Monroe, who holds the flag. Monroe, a scout and advisor to the future president, was not present at the event; his own correspondence places him at another location on December 24. The artist’s friend Worthington Whittredge was the model for Washington. [1]
Like many history painters, Leutze dramatized the actual episode in order to capture the excitement and heighten the symbolism, and in doing so has created a few inaccuracies. The boat is unrealistically small and it is unlikely that Washington would have endangered himself by standing up. The crossing took place in the dead of night in a snowstorm, but Leutze shows morning light instead. The ice resembles shapes typical of the Rhine River, not the Delaware. Additionally, the flag, designed by Betsy Ross, did not come into existence until six months after the crossing.
Leutze may have had two contemporary events in mind when he painted this heroic image of the American Revolution: the 1848 uprisings that swept Germany and the growing sectionalism in the United States. For Americans Washington Crossing the Delaware was a reminder of a glorious past when America was united against England.
Notes:
[1] See Barbara S. Groseclose, Emanuel Leutze, 1816-1868: Freedom Is the Only King (Washington: National Collection of Fine Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, 1975).
ProvenanceTo 1983
Barbara B. Millhouse, New York, NY and Winston-Salem, NC [1]
From 1983
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC, given by Barbara B. Millhouse on December 29, 1983. [2]
Notes:
[1] Deed of Gift, object file.
[2] See note 1.
Exhibition History2017
Samuel F.B. Morse's Gallery of the Louvre and the Art of Invention
Reynolda House Museum of American Art (02/17/2017 - 06/04/2017)
Published References
Status
Not on view