Philip Dawe
George Washington. Late President of the American Congress

ArtistEnglish, c. 1750–c. 1785
AfterAmerican, 1756–1793
PublisherLondon
CultureEnglish
Titles
  • George Washington. Late President of the American Congress
Date1801
Printed inLondon, England
MediumMezzotint and watercolor with engraving on wove paper
DimensionsPlate: 19 3/4 × 13 3/4 in. (50.2 × 35 cm)
Sheet: 20 1/8 × 14 1/4 in. (51.1 × 36.2 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by the estate of Miss Ima Hogg
Object numberB.2019.11
Not on view

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Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
DescriptionJoseph Wright was born in Bordentown, New Jersey, the son of Patience Wright, the first American-born female sculptor, known for her figures in wax. Wright and his mother traveled to England in 1772, where he studied with Benjamin West. Upon his return to America, he carried a letter of introduction to George Washington from Benjamin Franklin. Wright made studies of his subject at his headquarters at Rocky Hill, New Jersey, in 1783, one of the first artists to do so. Though this image is attributed to Wright, the painting on which it is based has not been found. Published shortly after Washington’s death in 1799, this print is contemporary with the tremendous outpouring of national grief that found expression in a wide variety of objects and images that depicted and glorified the hero. This print, though titled in part President of the American Congress, clearly emphasizes Washington’s achievements as a military commander.

Provenance[Old Print Shop, New York, c. 1990]; anonymous private collector; consigned to [Christie’s, New York, December 5, 2017, sale 14998, lot 109]; purchased by [William Reese Company, New Haven, Connecticut]; purchased by MFAH, 2019.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Recto: Inscribed in printed ink, below image, left: Painted by R. Wright of Philadelphia
Recto: Inscribed in printed ink, below image, center: London Published by D. Gally No. 263 High Holburn, Jany. 8th, 1801.
Recto: Inscribed in printed ink, below image, right: P. Dawe, sculpt.
Recto: Inscribed in printed ink, below image, center: GENERAL WASHINGTON. / Late President of the American Congress
Verso: Inscribed in graphite, upper left: #34903
Verso: Inscribed in graphite, center bottom edge: [illegible, partial, erased]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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