The Passage of the Delaware

• 1819
• Thomas Sully, American born in England
• George Washington crossing the Delaware
• Oil on Canvas
• MFA Boston

(Not a Pat Flan Pic)

Thomas Sully was the leading portrait painter in Philadelphia, and so paintings like these were generally pretty rare for him. Nonetheless, this painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware was commissioned for the state of North Carolina through Thomas Sully. After a little over four months of painting Sully finished this piece. It depicts the moments before Washington himself would cross the Delaware. The manner which Washington is shown isolates him from all the activity and fills out the ideal image of a leader.

This battle was a turning point for the Americans during the Revolutionary War. During Christmas night 1776 Washington and his army crossed the Delaware to launch an attack on opposing English forces. The battle that ensued allowed for the defeat of a large portion of the English Army and began to swing the tides of the war.

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