John Trumbull, 6 Jun 1756 - 10 Nov 1843 Search this
Sitter:
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, 25 Feb 1746 - 25 Aug 1825 Search this
Medium:
Oil on wood panel
Dimensions:
Frame: 15.9 x 14cm (6 1/4 x 5 1/2")
Sight: 8.6 x 7cm (3 3/8 x 2 3/4")
Type:
Painting
Date:
1791
Exhibition Label:
Born Charles Town (now Charleston), South Carolina
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, a leading political and military figure in South Carolina who enslaved dozens on his plantations, was sought out by painter John Trumbull in 1791. The artist was traveling along the East Coast “taking heads” of Revolutionary War heroes. During the drafting of the U.S. Constitution in 1787, Pinckney had opposed including a bill of rights declaring all men were born free. He later defended his position, arguing it a “very bad grace when a large part of our property consists of men who are actually born slaves.”
Nacido en Charles Town (hoy Charleston), Carolina del Sur
En 1791, el pintor John Trumbull contactó a Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, importante figura política y militar de Carolina del Sur que tenía docenas de esclavizados en sus plantaciones. El artista iba por la costa este “haciendo cabezas” de los héroes de la Guerra de Independencia. Cuando se redactaba la Constitución de EE.UU. en 1787, Pinckney se opuso a incluir una carta de derechos que declarara que todos los hombres nacían libres. Para defender su posición, dijo que esa declaración se haría “con reticencia, dado que gran parte de nuestras propiedades consisten de hombres que han nacido esclavos”.
Provenance:
Elise Pinckney, Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, descendant; gift 2007 to NPG
