“Washington is shipped through the Delaware” or “Washington crosses the Delaware” ( eng. Washington Crossing the Delaware ) is a gigantic picture painted by German and American artist Emanuel Leutze , 1816–1868 in 1851. Belongs to the Metropolitan Museum in New York . The size of the picture is 149 × 255 inches (378.5 × 647.7 cm) [1] [2] .
Emanuel Loiz | ||
Washington is crossing the Delaware . 1851 | ||
English Washington Crossing the Delaware | ||
Oil on canvas . 378.5 × 647.7 cm | ||
Metropolitan Museum , New York | ||
( inv. 97.34 ) | ||
Content
Description
The picture is dedicated to the famous historical event of the War of Independence of the USA - crossing the Delaware River on Christmas night from December 25 to 26, 1776, undertaken by George Washington and his detachment numbering about 2,400—2500 people. After that, the detachment headed towards Trenton and attacked the positions of the Hessian soldiers , taking them by surprise and winning a landslide victory [2] [3] [4] .
The picture is written in the style of romanticism . In the foreground, against the backdrop of an unnaturally bright sky (although the crossing took place at night) is depicted by General George Washington , the future first US president. Among the group of people who are in his boat are Colonel James Monroe, the future fifth president of the United States, supporting banner, General Nathaniel Green bending over the board, and dark-skinned is one of the rowers in the front of the boat [5] .
History
The first version of this painting was started by Emanuel Leutz in 1849. In 1850, it was damaged by a fire in his workshop, but then restored. After that, it was acquired by the Bremen Art Museum ( Kunsthalle Bremen ), but in 1942 it was destroyed as a result of the bombing and subsequent fire [1] .
Work on the second version of the painting began in 1850, and it was completed in 1851. In July 1851 she was exhibited in the artist's studio in Düsseldorf , and then she was sent to the United States. In October 1851, the painting was presented at an exhibition in New York , after which it was bought by Marshall O. Roberts for the enormous amount in those times in 10 000 dollars [1] [2] .
Marshall Roberts died in 1880, but the picture remained in his collection until 1897, when it was purchased by John Stewart Kennedy , who donated it to the Metropolitan Museum [1] .
In 1976, in connection with the 200th anniversary of the United States (as well as the philatelic exhibition " Interfil-76 ") , the US Postal Service issued a postal block depicting this painting [6] .
Inconsistencies
Researchers point out a number of historical and factual inaccuracies in the picture. As already mentioned, the crossing took place at night, and the sky is as bright as day. In addition, according to the recollections of the participants in these events, it rained with sleet that night. Further, the structure of the ice does not correspond to the one that usually happens on the Delaware River (there are larger and flat ice floes) - which is not surprising, since Loitz wrote this picture in Germany, based on his impressions of the Rhine . Standing in a boat just like George Washington is depicted would be extremely unsafe. Moreover, the boats used for such crossings were of a different type [7] .
There are also some inconsistencies associated with the people present in the boat. The future president, James Monroe (supporting banner) did take part in the crossing, but he was a young lieutenant at the time, and the likelihood that he was in the same boat with Washington was rather small. Further, regarding the black rower - there is no evidence that he took part in the crossing. Washington itself, which at that time was about 44 years old, looks older than its age [7] .
Also discussed the issue of the flag. The banner depicted in the picture is the so-called Betsy Ross flag ( Betsy Ross flag ) with 13 stars arranged in a circle. Although it is believed that this flag was first proposed in the summer of 1776, it was not widely used until 1777 [7] .
Censorship cases
In the United States, Loiz’s picture became a textbook — her images are reproduced in school textbooks. There are cases when school administrators demanded to “censor” the images of this picture, because it seemed to them that the detail of the chain of watches, attached to the pants of Washington and consisting of two decorative rounded ornaments of red color, could cause some pupils to associate with their genitals. In some cases, it was organized manual filling of this part in textbooks issued in thousands of copies [8] [9] .
Notes
- 2 1 2 3 4 Washington Crossing the Delaware, Emanuel Leutze (HTML). The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The appeal date is August 8, 2013.
- 2 1 2 3 Washington Crossing the Delaware, 1851, Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze (German, active United States, 1816–1868) (HTML). Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The appeal date is August 8, 2013.
- ↑ Washington Crossing (HTML). Washington Crossing Historic Park - www.ushistory.org. The appeal date is August 8, 2013.
- ↑ Washington Crosses the Delaware - Painting and Story (HTML). www.awesomestories.com. The appeal date is August 8, 2013.
- Rie Carrie Rebora Barratt, ea Washington Crossing the Delaware: Restoring an American Masterpiece (Issue 2). - New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002. - 48 p. - ISBN 978-1-58839-439-2 .
- ↑ Washington Crossing the Delaware, Emanuel Leutze (HTML). usstampgallery.com. The appeal date is August 9, 2013.
- ↑ 1 2 3 What's wrong with this painting? (HTML). Washington Crossing Historic Park - www.ushistory.org. The appeal date is August 9, 2013.
- ↑ Education: Washington painting censored for school book (HTML). BBC News - news.bbc.co.uk (October 8, 1999). The appeal date is August 8, 2013.
- ↑ Michael King. The Battle of Washington's Bulge (HTML). Austin Chronicle - www.austinchronicle.com (November 22, 2002). The appeal date is August 8, 2013.
Links
- Washington Crossing the Delaware, 1851, Emanuel Leutze , Google Art Project