His Excellency George Washington, Esq-r., General and Commander in Chief of the Allied Armies, Supporting the Independence of America 1782

Editor: Here we have "His Excellency George Washington..." a mouthful, I know. It’s an engraving, created by John Norman in 1782. I’m struck by the… I don’t know… almost idealized stillness. Like a marble statue, but on paper. What do you read into it? Curator: Well, you're not wrong. There’s a conscious effort to align Washington with the ideals of Roman virtue, isn’t there? Think of Cincinnatus, the farmer-statesman called to duty! This isn’t just a portrait; it's an assertion of legitimacy, created while the war *still* raged on. What do you make of the decorative frame, cannons, and flags below? Editor: Good point! Those details...they seem to emphasize power, the tools of war. Is that a... drum next to the flags? Curator: Precisely. Note how even these objects have a certain dignified composure about them. Everything points towards a stoic command, don't you think? Though, if I let my imagination roam, the slightly haphazard assembly of the frame, with the cannons and whatnot crammed in, feels touchingly...human, doesn’t it? Like a kid arranging his toys on parade. Editor: That's a great comparison. I had tunnel vision focusing on Washington himself! I hadn't considered how all the elements, even seemingly minor ones, contribute to a deliberate construction of image and power. I guess it is an invitation to contemplate, less about Washington as a man and more as a symbol of the revolutionary idea of "America" itself? Curator: Indeed. It is less a photograph, and more a meditation. Something to chew on for us all, even today!