Artist:
N.C. Wyeth
(American, 1882 - 1945)
title unknown (George Washington reviewing troops)
Medium: Charcoal on paper
Date: not dated
Dimensions:
41 1/2 x 37 1/4 in. (105.4 x 94.6 cm)
Private collection
Accession number: SUPP2000.1359
Research Number: NCW: 1359
InscribedNone on recto
ProvenanceThe artist; Mrs. N. C. Wyeth; Carolyn Wyeth; (Nicholas Wyeth ca. 1970)
Curatorial RemarksA finished painting of this composition has not been catalogued, and no archival material indicates the purpose of the work. A painting of the same subject (NCW 776) in vertical format was done in 1922 for "Poems of American Patriotism," but the present work suggests a later date; its proportions also suggest a calendar image. The prominence of the flag recalls the compositions for the Morrell & Company calendar "Flags in American History." No lantern slide of the image has been found.
In Nov. 1929, author and historian J. Bennett Nolan wrote to N. C. Wyeth regarding his forthcoming "romantic historical novel" about the "Conway Cabal," or plot to remove Washington from office. Nolan cited a prior conversation in which NCW apparently offered a frontispiece for the book. The book, "A Tale of Reading Town," was published in 1930, but did not include any illustrations. It is possible that the drawing was intended for but not used in the book.
In Nov. 1929, author and historian J. Bennett Nolan wrote to N. C. Wyeth regarding his forthcoming "romantic historical novel" about the "Conway Cabal," or plot to remove Washington from office. Nolan cited a prior conversation in which NCW apparently offered a frontispiece for the book. The book, "A Tale of Reading Town," was published in 1930, but did not include any illustrations. It is possible that the drawing was intended for but not used in the book.