The Battle of Bunker's Hill (June 17, 1775)
Medium
Engraving; second state of seven (Rümelin)
Dimensions
image: 19 13/16 x 29 5/8 in. (50.3 x 75.2 cm) plate: 23 3/8 x 32 5/8 in. (59.4 x 82.9 cm) sheet: 23 3/8 x 34 in. (59.4 x 86.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Charles Allen Munn, 1924
Accession Number
24.90.1315
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the chaos of the American Revolution withThe Battle of Bunker's (June 17, 1775)*, a engraving that captures one of the war's earliest and bloodiest clashes. Fought on Breed's Hill Boston, the 1775 battle saw colonial forces under leaders like Joseph Warren—depicted here heroically—hold off British troops despite being outnumbered and low on ammunition. Though the British won, their staggering casualties proved the revolutionaries' resolve, boosting morale and symbolizing defiance. Tags of soldiers, firearms, flags, and battles evoke the smoke-filled intensity of musket fire and clash...
About the Artist
John Trumbull|Johann Gotthard Müller|Antonio Cesare Poggi|Joseph Warren · 1756–1843
John Trumbull, born on June 6, 1756, in Lebanon, Connecticut, to prominent Puritan descendants, grew up in a politically influential family as the son of Jonathan Trumbull, Connecticut's governor from 1769 to 1784, and Faith Robinson Trumbull. His brothers included Joseph, the Continental Army's first commissary general, and Jonathan Jr., Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. A childhood a...