[Washington, George] "Washington Crossing the Delaware," c. 1874, After Emanuel Leutze, Oil on canvas, 39 x 27 in.; in gold-leaf frame 48 x 35 in. Signed "W 1874", this painting is attributed to Thomas Worthington Whittridge for the Philadelphia Centennial in 1876. Whittredge (1820-1910) was a student of Emanuel Leutze's at the Düsseldorf Academy in Germany while Leutze was painting "Washington Crossing The Delaware," finished in 1850 and now hanging in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. In fact, Whittredge was one of the art students Leutze used as a model for figures in the painting; he supposedly served as the model for George Washington and also for a steersman. The painting depicts Washington standing stalwartly in the prow of a boat, leading his ragtag Continental Army troops across the icy Delaware in a surprise attack on Hessian troops quartered at New Jersey. The defeat of Johann Rall's Hessians was a psychological turning point in the Revolutionary War:
As a young man in Cincinnati, Ohio, Whittridge painted landscapes and portraits. After studying in Europe for ten years (1849-1859), he returned to America and became a prominent member of the Hudson River School of landscape painters, becoming friends with other artists of that group, including Albert Bierstadt and Sanford Robinson Gifford. Whittredge was president of the National Academy of Design from 1874 to 1875 and was a member of the selection committees for the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition and the 1878 Paris Exposition. Whittredge's paintings hang in major museums, as well as the White House. Purchased at Christie's, New York, Jan. 10, 1998, lot 1485, for $40,250. Mr. Harkins spent an additional $7,000 for conservation and framing.
Estimated Value $35,000 - 45,000
The Claude Harkins Collection of Washingtonia and Other Historical Highlights
