John Norman
The Battle at Bunker's Hill, or The Death of General Warren

Public Domain

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Images(4)

ArtistEngraved by John Norman(British, 1748–1817)British, 1748–1817

Artistafter John Trumbull (American, 1756–1843)American, 1756–1843

CultureBritish

Titles

The Battle at Bunker's Hill, or The Death of General Warren

Datec. 1798–1817

Printed inBoston, Massachusetts, United States

MediumEngraving on wove paper

Dimensions19 1/2 × 29 1/2 in. (49.5 × 74.9 cm)

Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by Jerry E. Finger and Alexander K. McLanahan at "One Great Night in November, 2010"

Object numberB.2011.1

Not on view

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Department

Bayou Bend

Object Type

PRINTS

Description

Encouraged by fellow artist Benjamin West, John Trumbull
began his famous series of scenes of the American Revolution with this image. Trumbull
witnessed the battle by looking through field glasses while stationed nearby
across Boston Harbor. In this image, he depicts the moment General Joseph
Warren is killed by British fire just as their troops successfully overcome the
American revolutionaries’ fortifications. West considered it “the best picture
of a modern battle” and encouraged Trumbull to have it engraved so that it
would become more widely known.

Provenance Research Ongoing Exhibition History“American Adversaries: West and Copley in a Transatlantic World,” The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, October 6, 2013–January 20, 2014.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Recto: Inscribed in printed ink, below plate, left: Painted by John Trumbull Eſqr.
Recto: Inscribed in printed ink, below plate, center: The Battle at Bunker's Hill, or the Death of General Warren
Recto: Inscribed in printed ink, below plate, right: Engraved by J Norman
Verso, on frame: Attached write up by Philadelphia Print Shop, see images

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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