Washington Crossing the Delaware from the series History

David Levinthal, Washington Crossing the Delaware from the series History, 2013, inkjet print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Donald Standford Rosenfeld, Jr., 2017.41.9, © 2013, David Levinthal
David Levinthal, Washington Crossing the Delaware from the series History, 2013, inkjet print, 61 × 79 in. (154.9 × 200.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Donald Standford Rosenfeld, Jr., 2017.41.9, © 2013, David Levinthal

Artwork Details

Title
Washington Crossing the Delaware from the series History
Date
2013
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
61 × 79 in. (154.9 × 200.7 cm)
Copyright
© 2013, David Levinthal
Credit Line
Gift of Donald Standford Rosenfeld, Jr.
Mediums Description
inkjet print
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — other — flag
  • Portrait male — Washington, George — full length
  • Landscape — river — Delaware River
  • Occupation — military — general
  • History — United States — Revolution
  • Architecture — boat — rowboat
  • Dress — uniform — military uniform
  • Occupation — military — soldier
  • Occupation — political — president
  • Figure group — male
Object Number
2017.41.9

Artwork Description

One of the most repeated stories about the nation's first president is his famous Delaware River crossing on December 25, 1776, during the Revolutionary War. As a general in the Continental army, George Washington led 2,400 soldiers across the river in the middle of the night during a severe snowstorm. Levinthal focuses on the toy figure of Washington standing tall and pointing decisively ahead, unimpeded by ice and wind. The artificiality of the figure is immediately apparent, underscoring the fiction that lies at the heart of how Americans visualize this historic event.

Works by this artist (22 items)

Robert S. Duncanson, Mountain Pool, 1870, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dr. Richard Frates, 1983.95.173
Mountain Pool
Date1870
oil on canvas
On view
Robert S. Duncanson, On the St. Annes, East Canada, 1863, 1865, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Drown, 1983.95.170
On the St. Annes, East Canada
Date1863, 1865
oil on canvas
On view
Robert S. Duncanson, Waterfall on Mont-Morency, 1864, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dr. Norbert Fleisig, 1983.95.161
Waterfall on Mont-Morency
Date1864
oil on canvas
On view
Robert S. Duncanson, Loch Long, 1867, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Donald J. Shein, 1983.95.171
Loch Long
Date1867
oil on canvas
On view

Exhibitions

Media - 2017.32.10 - SAAM-2017.32.10_1 - 133751
American Myth & Memory: David Levinthal Photographs 
June 7, 2019October 14, 2019
Populated with toy cowboys and cavalry, Barbie dolls and baseball players, David Levinthal’s photographs reference iconic images and events that shaped postwar American society.

More Artworks from the Collection

William Holbrook Beard, The Runaway Match, 1877, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1977.55
The Runaway Match
Date1877
oil on canvas
Not on view
John Henry Twachtman, Figure in Sunlight (Artist's Wife), ca. 1890-1900, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.6.137
Figure in Sunlight (Artist’s Wife)
Dateca. 1890-1900
oil on canvas
On view
Unidentified (Italian), Saint, 19th century, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Laura Dreyfus Barney and Natalie Clifford Barney in memory of their mother, Alice Pike Barney, 1952.13.157
Saint
Artist
Unidentified (Italian)
Date19th century
oil on canvas
Not on view