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George Washington, Patriæ Pater

1865–69
Not on view
This print is based on Peale's so-called "Porthole Portrait" of Washington, where the bust-length figure is seen through a simulated stone oval. Oak leaves and a mask ornament the frame, while the Latin wordse below evoke an ancient Roman honorary term that translates as Father of the country.The subject's life-like presence contrasts with the stone and his cloak, draped across the opening, brings him closer to us. One version of Peale's oil, painted ca. 1846, is at the MMA (24.109.86); another from ca. 1853 is at the National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: George Washington, Patriæ Pater
  • Engraver: Adam B. Walter (American, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1820–1875 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
  • Artist: After Rembrandt Peale (American, Bucks County, Pennsylvania 1778–1860 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
  • Publisher: Hugh A. McCann (American, active before 1878)
  • Sitter: George Washington (American, 1732–1799)
  • Dedicatee: Ulysses S. Grant (American, Point Pleasant, Ohio 1822–1885 Mount McGregor, New York)
  • Published in: Philadelphia
  • Date: 1865–69
  • Medium: Mezzotint
  • Dimensions: Image: 19 × 15 in. (48.2 × 38.1 cm)
    Sheet: 27 9/16 × 20 11/16 in. (70 × 52.5 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of William H. Huntington, 1883
  • Object Number: 83.2.133
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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