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Catalog Data

Artist:
Unidentified Artist  Search this
Sitter:
George Washington, 22 Feb 1732 - 14 Dec 1799  Search this
Medium:
Hand-colored etching with watercolor on paper
Dimensions:
Image: 25.4 x 24.3cm (10 x 9 9/16")
Sheet: 30.1 × 24.9cm (11 7/8 × 9 13/16")
Mat (Verified): 45.7 x 35.6cm (18 x 14")
Type:
Print
Date:
1800
Exhibition Label:
American engravers enjoyed a steady market in the late eighteenth century with the booming demand for illustrations and popular prints. Following the Revolutionary War, George Washington’s status as a national icon spurred the fledgling industry into supplying inexpensive portraits to meet public demand. Washington’s death on December 14, 1799, would prompt an outpouring of oratorical and pictorial tributes. This deathbed scene, which alludes to published accounts of the president’s final moments, shows a physician taking Washington’s pulse with the aid of a stopwatch. Americans purchased souvenir handkerchiefs that featured this image on one side and a complementary mourning picture on the other.
Los grabadores estadounidenses tenían un Mercado estable a fines del siglo XVIII con la creciente demanda de ilustraciones y grabados populares. Después de la Guerra de Independencia, el estatus de George Washington como símbolo nacional sirvió de estímulo a la incipiente industria, que comenzó a producir retratos de bajo costo para satisfacer la demanda del público. La muerte de Washington el 14 de diciembre de 1799 habría de producer un torrente de tributos oratorios y pictóricos. Esta escena en el lecho de muerte, inspirada en relatos publicados de los últimos momentos del presidente, muestra a un médico tomándole el pulso a Washington con ayuda de un cronómetro. También se vendieron pañuelos recordatorios con esta escena en un lado y una escena de duelo en el otro.
Topic:
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Table  Search this
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Bed  Search this
Home Furnishings\Pillow  Search this
Symbols & Motifs\Seal  Search this
Container\Bottle\Decanter  Search this
Food\Beverage\Alcoholic  Search this
Costume\Jewelry\Watch\Pocket watch  Search this
George Washington: Male  Search this
George Washington: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Revolutionary War  Search this
George Washington: Politics and Government\Statesman\Colonial statesman  Search this
George Washington: Natural Resource Occupations\Agriculturist\Farmer  Search this
George Washington: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\General  Search this
George Washington: Politics and Government\President of US  Search this
George Washington: Science and Technology\Surveyor  Search this
George Washington: Congressional Gold Medal  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Object number:
NPG.85.137
Restrictions & Rights:
CC0
See more items in:
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location:
Currently not on view
Data Source:
National Portrait Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4aca10eb5-c7db-40b4-a94e-351cf29ccfcc
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_NPG.85.137