American Art Collaborative

This three-quarter-length view of Washington is adapted from the full-scale painting by John Trumbull, commissioned by the city of Charleston, South Carolina, in 1791 to commemorate Washington’s visit. In the words of the council, the painting was commissioned to "hand down to posterity the remembrance of the man to whom they are so much indebted for the blessings of peace, liberty and independence.” Henry Brintnell Bounetheau and other miniaturists made and sold many small copies of the popular image. Here he omitted the horse and Washington’s aide-de-camp, preferring to concentrate on the general himself. Conservation of this miniature was made possible through a generous grant provided by the Smithsonian Women’s Committee