George Washington

Trumbull’s George Washington (1780) presents Washington (1732–1799) as a confident military leader, dressed in his Continental Army uniform and standing before a dramatic landscape that reinforces his role in securing American independence. Like many eighteenth-century portraits, the painting was carefully composed to communicate authority, virtue, and leadership rather than simply record a physical likeness. Equally important is the inclusion of William “Billy” Lee (1750–1810), the enslaved man who served as Washington’s personal valet throughout much of the Revolutionary War. Lee accompanied Washington on military campaigns and remained one of the people closest to him for many years. His presence reminds viewers that the nation’s most celebrated champion of liberty was also a slaveholder, highlighting one of the central contradictions of the American Revolution. As a primary source, the portrait encourages students to consider not only how political leaders wished to be remembered but also how artists represented race, status, and slavery in the founding era.

The Washington Family

Painted in the years following the American Revolution, The Washington Family presents George Washington (1732–1799) not only as a victorious general and first president, but also as the head of a virtuous republican household. Although George and Martha Washington (1731–1802) had no children together, the painting includes Martha’s grandchildren and depicts the family gathered around maps and symbols of the new nation. Such imagery reflected the belief that strong families, civic virtue, and enlightened leadership were essential to the success of the American republic. The painting also includes an enslaved servant standing behind the Washington family, a reminder that slavery remained deeply embedded in American society even as the new nation celebrated the ideals of liberty and equality. Like many elite family portraits of the eighteenth century, the composition projects wealth, refinement, and social order while leaving unequal power relationships largely unquestioned.