George Washington, Patriæ Pater
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Stuart P. Feld
Accession Number
NPG.70.56
Tags
WindowSculptureFarmerCongressional Gold MedalGeorge Washington: MaleGeneralRevolutionary WarPresident of USColonial statesmanSurveyor
About this artwork
This important early American lithograph reproduces Rembrandt Pealeâs famous âportholeâ portrait of George Washington, titled Patriæ Pater (âFather of the countryâ). The artist envisioned this dramatic, idealized image as the authoritative portrait of the first president. For three months, Peale worked obsessively on the original painting in his Philadelphia studio, combining his likeness of Washington, made from life in 1795, with the best features of works by other artists. He then ...