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

Curator: This engraving by John Norman, dating back to 1782, presents “His Excellency George Washington, Esq-r., General and Commander in Chief of the Allied Armies, Supporting the Independence of America." Editor: It’s striking how… clean it is. Almost sterile. Everything is so carefully rendered. The weaponry and laurel details around his portrait give an interesting effect. The man and the war apparatus surrounding his image is something, to say the least. Curator: The precision speaks volumes. This wasn't just about representation, it was about crafting a very particular image of power. Notice the Neoclassical style, harking back to Roman ideals of leadership. There is an engraved text bellow the frame citing Temperance, Prudence, Fortitude, Justice. Key virtues which would have played very well within a nation trying to build their own unique republic, against Monarchy. Editor: Engravings like this… They're commodities, really. Made to circulate and reinforce specific narratives. A single print becomes an ideological object. Think about the labour involved in the printing processes in the 1700’s: engraving skills of this nature weren’t available to everyone. Curator: Absolutely, it highlights how the image of Washington was actively constructed. These weren't candid shots; they were carefully managed and circulated. I suspect they intended to shape public opinion and legitimize his role in the Revolution. This portrait is a piece of political machinery. Editor: And that inscription listing virtues, almost feels like a manufacturer's mark. A kind of ethical guarantee placed upon the man himself! Who controls the means of this production controls the historical perception. I suppose this artwork demonstrates a sort of power of manipulation of materials. Curator: True. The choice of engraving also made it accessible to a wider audience compared to painting. It’s more easily reproducible, easily disseminated, which only amplifies its reach. And it solidified those virtues with George Washington and the fight for Independence. Editor: Ultimately, it is interesting how what may appear initially to be just an image, holds such complex and varied material and historical implications. It invites the reflection and contextualization on an entire time-period. Curator: It’s more than an image, it's a carefully engineered statement. Examining its style, the chosen medium and of course the historical setting illuminates the role of images in constructing national heroes and ideologies.