George Washington 1774 - 1777

Charles Willson Peale captured George Washington in this delicate miniature, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Peale, a man of the Enlightenment, painted Washington during a time of great social and political change. This portrait, likely intended to be worn as a pendant, speaks volumes about identity and power. Washington, the celebrated General and first President, is presented with a certain gentility. Yet, the image invites us to reflect on the complex narrative of the founding fathers. Washington was a leader of a revolution founded on liberty, yet he was also a slave owner. This miniature serves not only as a historical document but as an intimate, though complicated, lens through which we can view the formation of American identity. How do we reconcile such contradictions when viewing this portrait?