John Trumbull
John Trumbull | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | November 10, 1843 New York City, U.S. | (aged 87)
Resting place | Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut |
Nationality | American |
Education | Harvard College |
Known for | Painting |
Notable work | Declaration of Independence (painted 1817–1819) |
Signature | |
John Trumbull (June 6, 1756 – November 10, 1843) was an American artist of the early independence period, notable for his
Trumbull's
Early life and education
Trumbull was born in
He had two older brothers, Joseph Trumbull, the first commissary general of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and Jonathan Trumbull Jr., who became the second Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Trumbull entered the 1771 junior class at Harvard College at age 15 and graduated in 1773. Due to a childhood accident, Trumbull lost the use of one eye, which may have influenced his detailed painting style.[2]
Career
American Revolutionary War
As a soldier in the American Revolutionary War, Trumbull rendered a particular service at Boston by sketching plans of the British and American lines and works.[3] He witnessed the Battle of Bunker Hill. He was appointed second aide-de-camp to General George Washington, and in June 1776, deputy adjutant general to General Horatio Gates.[4] He resigned from the army in 1777 after a dispute over the dating of his officer commission.
In 1780, with funds depleted, Trumbull turned to art as a profession and traveled to London, where he was introduced to Benjamin Franklin. Trumbull studied under Benjamin West. At West's suggestion, Trumbull painted small pictures of the American Revolutionary War and miniature portraits. He painted about 250 such portraits in his lifetime.[5] He also painted the portrait of Washington from memory during this time.[6]
Arrested in Britain
On September 23, 1780, British agent Major
Trumbull was imprisoned for seven months at Tothill Fields Bridewell in London.[8][9]
Return to America
After being released, Trumbull returned to the United States on a voyage that lasted six months, arriving in late January 1782. He then joined his brother David in supplying the
Postwar years
In 1784, following Britain's recognition of United States' sovereignty and independence, Trumbull returned to London to study painting under West. His first major work, The Deputation from the Senate Presenting to Cincinnatus the Command of the Roman Armies, was accepted and displayed by the Royal Academy of Arts in that year. In this work, Trumbull painted Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus in the likeness of George Washington. The painting's current location is unknown.[12] While working in his studio, Trumbull painted Battle of Bunker Hill and Death of General Montgomery in the Attack on Quebec; both works are now housed at the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, Connecticut.
In July 1786, Trumbull traveled to Paris, where he made portrait sketches of French officers, including
While in Paris, Trumbull introduced Jefferson to
Trumbull's Declaration of Independence painting was purchased by the United States Congress, along with three of his other Revolutionary-era portraits, Surrender of General Burgoyne, Surrender of Lord Cornwallis, and General George Washington Resigning His Commission. Each of these portraits now hang in United States Capitol rotunda at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Congress reportedly authorized only funds sufficient to purchase these four paintings.
Trumbull completed several other paintings related to the Revolution:
- Boston Museum of Fine Arts);
- Death of General Montgomery in the Attack on Quebec
- Capture of the Hessians at Trenton
- George Washington at Trenton, New Jersey, on the night of January 2, 1777. Trumbull considered this portrait "the best certainly of those which I painted".
- Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton
- Washington at Verplanck's Point, which Trumbull presented as a gift in 1790 to Martha Washington
- George Washington, commissioned by the City of New York in 1790
Middle years
Trumbull's portraits also include full lengths of
He painted portraits of
Trumbull himself was painted by Gilbert Stuart and many others.
In 1794, Trumbull acted as secretary to John Jay in London during the negotiation of the treaty with Great Britain, which largely settled the boundary with Canada and began cotton export to the country. In 1796, he was appointed by the commissioners sent by the two countries as the fifth member of a commission charged with carrying out the seventh article of the Jay Treaty,[4] which mediated claims by American and British merchants and the opposing government stemming from actions that occurred during the war. Shortly after the end of Trumbull's service on this commission, he traveled to Stuttgart to pick up the completed engraving of the Battle of Bunker's Hill. On the return trip, he passed through Paris and carried the first dispatch from the XYZ Affair out of France.[18]
Trumbull later encountered hard times during which he was failing to sell his paintings individually. In 1831, he sold a series of 28 paintings and 60 miniature portraits to
Later years
Trumbull was appointed president of the American Academy of the Fine Arts in New York City, serving from 1816 to 1836.[20] Emphasizing classical traditions, Trumbull did not get along with the students. At the same time, his painting skills declined. In 1825, many of the students withdrew, founding the National Academy of Design.[21] Unable to accommodate to changing tastes, the American Academy later closed in 1839 after a second fire destroyed its collections.
Trumbull wrote his autobiography, which he published in 1841. He died in New York City at the age of 87 on November 10, 1843.
Legacy and honors
- Trumbull was originally interred (along with his wife) beneath the Art Gallery at Yale University, which he had designed. In 1867, the collection of his works was moved to the newly built Street Hall. His wife and his remains were reinterred on those grounds.[22] The Trumbull Gallery was later razed.
- 1965, the John Trumbull Birthplace in Lebanon, Connecticut, was declared a National Historic Landmark.
- 1968, a John Trumbull commemorative postage stamp was printed.
In popular culture
- Actor Buzz Bovshow played John Trumbull in the television miniseries John Adams.
- "No John Trumbull" is a deleted song from the musical Hamilton.
Paintings
- The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, June 17, 1775
- The Death of General Montgomery in the Attack on Quebec, December 31, 1775
- Declaration of Independence
- The Capture of the Hessians at Trenton, December 26, 1776
- The Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777
- The Surrender of General Burgoyne at Saratoga
- The Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown
- General George Washington Resigning His Commission
- Portraits of George Washington, John Adams and Alexander Hamilton
- The Death of Aemilius Paullus at the Battle of Cannae
- The Sortie Made by the Garrison of Gibraltar
- Self-portrait
- Portrait of Josiah Bartlett
- Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. (1740–1809) with Mrs. Trumbull (Eunice Backus) (1749–1826) and Faith Trumbull (1769–1846)
Gallery
Historic events
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The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, June 17, 1775 (event 1775, painted 1786)
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The Death of General Montgomery in the Attack on Quebec, December 31, 1775 (event 1775, painted 1786)
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TheDeclaration of Independence(event 1776, painted 1819)
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The Capture of the Hessians at Trenton, December 26, 1776 (event 1776, painted 1786–1828)
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The Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777 (event 1777, c. 1787–c. 1831)
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Surrender of General Burgoyne (event 1777, painted 1821)
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Surrender of Lord Cornwallis (event 1781, painted 1820)
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General George Washington Resigning His Commission (event 1783, painted 1824)
Portraits
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Self-portrait, 1777
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George Washington, 1780
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George Clinton, 1791
-
Lady in White
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Self-portrait, c. 1802
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Mrs Sarah Trumbull with a spaniel 1802
-
Alexander Hamilton, 1792
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Alexander Hamilton, 1792
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Alexander Hamilton, 1805
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Richard Varick, 1805
Miniature portraits/sketches
-
Israel Putnam, 1790
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Richard Butler (general), 1790
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George Wythe, 1791
References
- OCLC 3303313.
- ^ "Gentleman John Trumbull". Time Magazine. October 29, 1956. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved February 17, 2008.
- ^ Sketch of British and American Lines and Fortifications in Boston Area by John Trumbull Archived July 31, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, 1775.
- ^ a b c d e f g public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Trumbull, John". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 324. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ a b c Trumbull (1841), pp. 288–94.
- ^ Caldwell, John; Rodriguez Roque, Oswaldo; Johnson, Dale T. (1994). "John Trumbull: George Washington". In Kathleen Luhrs (ed.). American Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vol. I: A Catalogue of Works by Artists Born by 1815. Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. 201–203.
- ^ Digges, Thomas (November 22, 1780). "To John Adams from Thomas Digges, 22 November 1780". Founders Online, National Archives.
A person of the name of Trumbull was taken up for high Treason on Sunday night and committed Irond to Prison.
- ^ Jaffe (1975), p. 50.
- ^ Heleniak, Kathryn Moore. "Benjamin West and John Trumbull". Fordham University. Archived from the original on March 20, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- ^ Jaffe (1975), pp. 53–54.
- ^ Trumbull (1841), p. 88.
- ^ Jaffe (1975), p. 60.
- ISBN 978-0-30008-261-6.
- ^ Trumbull (1841), pp. 95–6.
- ^ Dunlap, David W. (December 6, 2006). "In New York, Taking Years Off the Old, Famous Faces Adorning City Hall". The New York Times. Retrieved January 7, 2007.
- ^ "Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter T" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
- ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
- ^ Jaffe (1975), pp. 177–82.
- ^ "Yale University Art Gallery: Architecture". Trumbull Gallery (1832)
- ^ Jaffe (1975), pp. 264–75.
- ^ Dunlap, William (1918). A History of the Rise and Progress of the Arts of Design in the United States (Vol 3). C. E. Goodspeed & Co. pp. 52–57. Retrieved February 17, 2008.
- ^ Trumbull Gallery at Yale Archived March 5, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
Further reading
- Trumbull, John (1841). Autobiography, Reminiscences and Letters of John Trumbull from 1756 to 1841. New York: Wiley and Putnam.
- Weir, J. F. (1901). John Trumbull, A Brief Sketch of His Life, to which is added a Catalogue of his Works. New York: C. Scribner's sons. Retrieved February 16, 2008.
- Durand, John (1881). "John Trumbull". American Art Review. ii (2). Boston: 181–191.
- Murray, P. & L. (1996). Dictionary of Art and Artists. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-051300-0.
- Cooper, Helen A. (1983). John Trumbull: The Hand and Spirit of a Painter. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0894670244.
- Jaffe, Irma B. (1975). John Trumbull, Patriot-Artist of the American Revolution. Boston, MA: New York Graphic Society. ISBN 9780821204597.
- Sizer, Theodore (1950). The Works of Colonel John Trumbull, Artist of the American Revolution. Yale University Press.
External links
- John Trumbull papers (MS 506). Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library.
- The Winterthur Library Overview of an archival collection on John Trumbull.
- Union List of Artist Names, Getty Vocabularies. ULAN Full Record Display for John Trumbull. Getty Vocabulary Program, Getty Research Institute. Los Angeles, California.
- Art and the Empire City: New York, 1825–1861, an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art that contains material on Trumbull
- Guide to the John Trumbull Papers, 1775–1842; New-York Historical Society
- John Trumbull at Find a Grave