Tanner, Vallance, Kearney & Co.
The British surrendering their Arms to Gen: Washington after their defeat at York Town in Virginia October 1781.

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Artist Tanner, Vallance, Kearney & Co.Philadelphia, 1819–1823

Artist William AllanAmerican, 1782–1850

Artistafter John Francis RenaultAmerican, 1781–1815, active France

CultureAmerican

Titles

The British surrendering their Arms to Gen: Washington after their defeat at York Town in Virginia October 1781.

Date1819

Printed inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

MediumEngraving and etching on wove paper

DimensionsSheet: 20 1/4 × 32 3/4 in. (51.4 × 83.2 cm)

Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by the E. Rudge Allen, Jr. family in honor of Christopher Sarofim and Fayez Sarofim at "One Great Night in November, 2010"

Object numberB.2011.4

Not on view

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Department

Bayou Bend

Object Type

PRINTS

DescriptionThis complex composition immortalizes the surrender of the British Army to the Americans at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781. The artist, John Francis Renault, was a French Army engineer who claimed to have been present at the battle and surrender. Renault has taken some liberties with the historical accuracy of the event to create a celebratory composition. As the surrender takes place, in the background he has placed a series of allegorical vignettes. Justice and Abundance flank an urn inscribed with the names of American heroes. A child frolics nearby holding the “American Constitution” and an emblematic rudder. Surmounting a column is Liberty while to the far right another depiction of Liberty causes a chariot filled with tyrants to be upturned and smashed.
Provenance Research Ongoing Exhibition History"Radicals and Revolutionaries: America's Founding Fathers," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, March 10–May 28, 2018.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Recto: Inscribed in printed ink, below plate, left: Printed in lower margin at center: Drawn by John Francis Renault.
Recto: Inscribed in printed ink, below plate, center: Lincoln Rochambeau Hamilton Washington Knox De Lausun Nelson La Fayette Tarleton Cornwallis Abercrombie O’Hara Symmonds Dundan Chewton
Recto: Inscribed in printed ink, below plate, right: Engraved by Tanner, Vallance, Kearny & Co, and Wm. Allen.
Recto: Inscribed in printed ink, below plate, center: The British surrendering their Arms to Gen: Washington after their defeat at York Town in Virginia October 1781.
Recto: Inscribed in printed ink, below plate, center: TO THE DEFENDERS OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE, THIS PRINT IS MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED BY THEIR FELLOW CITIZEN, / Jn. Fcis. Renault, Assistant Secretary to the Count de Grass, and Engineer [Ink is faded from this point. Following is transcribed from the Library of Congress’ copy of this print] to the French Army, at the Siege of York.
Recto: Inscribed in printed ink, below plate, left bottom edge: Entered according to Act of Congress, the 28th. day of January, 1819.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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