George Washington
Artist
Edward Savage
(American, 1761-1817)
CultureAmerican
Dateca. 1793
MediumMezzotint
DimensionsOverall, Image: 18 3/16 × 13 7/8 in. (46.2 × 35.2 cm)
Overall, Sheet: 19 5/16 × 14 1/4 in. (49.1 × 36.2 cm)
Overall, Mat: 28 × 24 in. (71.1 × 61 cm)
Overall, Sheet: 19 5/16 × 14 1/4 in. (49.1 × 36.2 cm)
Overall, Mat: 28 × 24 in. (71.1 × 61 cm)
InscribedTitle printed on the sheet, lower center.
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number71.2665
Not on view
DescriptionMezzotint depicting George Washington.Label TextAttributed to Edward Savage American (1761-1817) George Washington, 1793 Mezzotint engraving Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.2665 Most Americans in the 18th and early 19th centuries knew what George Washington looked like through the medium of prints, many of which reproduced paintings. Edward Savage had painted a life portrait of Washington in uniform for Harvard College in 1789. While Savage was in London in 1793, he used the face from that portrait as the basis for an oil portrait of Washington as president showing him in his characteristic black velvet suit seated at a table with a plan of the proposed new capital on the Potomac. Savage created a mezzotint engraving of this image with the help of skilled printmakers, which he published in London on June 15, 1793. The mezzotint seen here is a second version that closely copies the one that Savage published in London. Since this image is unsigned and is somewhat coarser in texture than the original, the possibility exists that it may be a pirated version. However, the draftsmanship is good enough that scholars have generally attributed this print to Savage himself. Mezzotint plates wear down quickly and the first version is known to have sold briskly. Perhaps demand forced the artist to produce aExhibition History"First in the Hearts of His Countrymen: America Remembers George Washington 1732-1799," Chrysler Museum of Art, Nov. 23, 1999 - Summer 2001.
