Lot 144
Washington Crossing the Delaware -- Rare Girardet Print From Leutze's Famous Painting. Engraved by Paul Girardet and published by Goupil & Co. Entered according to Act of Congress, 1853. The size of the engraving is 46 x 32¼" Framed to an overall size of 55½ x 42" using 100% museum-grade materials and techniques.
Emanuel Leutze's famous painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware commemorates the crossing of the Delaware River by General George Washington and the Continental Army on the night of December 25-26, 1776 in a surprise attack against the Hessian forces at Trenton, New Jersey, in the Battle of Trenton. The defeat of Johann Rall's Hessians was a psychological turning point in the Revolutionary War.
Washington's boat is the focus of the painting; other boats can be seen following in the background. Leutze's painting emphasizes the diverse culture of people living in the American colonies who were working together toward a common goal. They include a man in a Scottish bonnet and a man of African descent facing backward next to each other in the front, western riflemen at the bow and stern, two farmers in broad-brimmed hats near the back (one with a bandaged head), and an androgynous rower in a red shirt, possibly meant to be a woman in man's clothing. At the back of the boat is a man who appears to be wearing Native American garb. According to the 1853 exhibition catalog for Leutze's painting, Lieutenant James Monroe, the future fifth President of the United States, is the man standing next to Washington and holding the flag, and the man leaning over the side is General Nathanael Greene. General Edward Hand is shown seated and holding his hat within the vessel.
This particular print is rare. A similar rendition of this exact engraving is in the collection of George Washington's Mount Vernon and another is in the Yale University Art Gallery, acquired in 1975. Estimate Value $10,000 - UP
Purchased from Reiss & Sohn, Germany, in the 1990s; previous owner was a private collector in Kansas City, MO.
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