George Washington
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Accession Number
NPG.82.36
Tags
Art Historical Context
Thomas Cheesman's 1796 print *George Washington* is a striking portrait from the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection, capturing the first U.S. President amid symbols of his extraordinary life. Rendered as an engraving—a precise intaglio technique popular for reproducing portraits across Europe and America—the image depicts Washington as a multifaceted figure: surveyor with spyglass and feather, farmer, soldier horseback, Revolutionary War general amid battleground, cannon, and sword, and statesman honored with the Congressional Gold Medal all under the American flag. Created just as ...