# George Washington

**Charles Willson Peale** (American, 1741–1827)  
ca. 1779–81  
Oil on canvas  
95 x 61 3/4 in. (241.3 x 156.8 cm)

Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 97.33. [The museum's record](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11707).

## About this work

Washington stands at full length, leaning easily on a cannon, with captured enemy flags at his feet and a distant view of the battlefield. The design celebrates his victories at Trenton and Princeton in the winter of 1776–77. Charles Willson Peale, who had fought in those campaigns with the Philadelphia militia, first painted the composition in 1779 for the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, and demand was such that he produced a number of replicas for other patrons; this canvas belongs to that group. The relaxed pose presents the commander as a gentleman-soldier, an image suited to the new republic.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

Charles Willson Peale painted this in about 1779–81, aged about 35. It is now at The Met in New York.

### How it was made

- **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

### [Charles Willson Peale](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/charles-willson-peale)

American, 1741–1827; born in Chester, Maryland; died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Peale trained as a saddler in Maryland before turning to painting, and studied in London with Benjamin West. Back in America he served in the Revolutionary War and painted George Washington from life several times, along with many leaders of the new republic. In 1786 he opened a museum in Philadelphia, showing portraits beside natural history specimens, including an excavated mastodon skeleton. He named several of his children after artists, among them Raphaelle, Rembrandt and Rubens, and several became painters.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- Culture: American
- The artist was about 35
- Real size: about 95 × 62 in (241 × 157 cm). The original is larger than our largest print, 18 × 24 in, so every print is a reduction.
- Century: 18th century
- Subjects: Cannons, George Washington, Men, Portraits
- Colour: black
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/848.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/848/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/george-washington-met-11707).