Hail to the Chief
If there were a patron saint of the United States, it would most likely be George Washington.Even in his own time, our first president was practically worshipped, and by the time this painting was completed, people routinely made pilgrimages to Mount Vernon to see his grave. So the historic visit in 1860 of the Prince of Wales to Washington's tomb was a momentous event, for it signified England's tribute to an American icon, who was once her adversary, and her respectful recognition of the enduring independence of her former colony. And, as if he were sanctioning the historic occasion, an image of Washington's face [in profile] appears in the clouds.
To view other works from the museum's collection that tell the story of our nation's early years, visit our traveling exhibition Young America: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum online or in person at the Columbus Museum in Columbus, Georgia, until November 5, 2000.
Source: Amy Pastan. Young America: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum (New York and Washington, D.C.: Watson-Guptill Publications, in cooperation with the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2000).
Pictured top: Thomas P. Rossiter, 1818–71, Visit of the Prince of Wales, President Buchanan and Dignitaries to the Tomb of Washington at Mount Vernon, October 1860, 1861, oil, 27 1/4 x 54 3/8 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Harriet Lane Johnston Collection.
Pictured bottom: Thomas P. Rossiter, Visit of the Prince of Wales, President Buchanan and Dignitaries to the Tomb of Washington at Mount Vernon, October 1860 (detail of Washington's face in cloud).
If there were a patron saint of the United States, it would most likely be George Washington.Even in his own time, our first president was practically worshipped, and by the time this painting was completed, people routinely made pilgrimages to Mount Vernon to see his grave. So the historic visit in 1860 of the Prince of Wales to Washington's tomb was a momentous event, for it signified England's tribute to an American icon, who was once her adversary, and her respectful recognition of the enduring independence of her former colony. And, as if he were sanctioning the historic occasion, an image of Washington's face [in profile] appears in the clouds.