G. Washington

Brussels, 1781. le Roy. Engraving. 7 7/8 x 4 3/4 inches. Some foxing and toning otherwise in good condition. Brussels: np, (1781).<br/> <br/> Wonderful full length portrait of George Washington in his lifetime. Engraved by Jacques le Roy, after the John Trumbull painting in the Met Museum in New York City. He is in military uniform overlooking the Hudson River. In his left hand he holds a hat, and in his right hand he holds a scroll and points at the West point fortress below. William Lee, his enslaved valet, groom, and military aide is included with a horse. According to the Met; "Trumbull would have known Lee from their wartime service, yet chose to depict him in a turban, based on a European "orientalist" convention associated with Black figures. An accurate visual portrait of Lee who Washington freed and granted an annuity in his will, is unknown." From 'Essais Historiques et Politiques sur les Anglo-Americains', the author writes of the origins of the American Revolution and its political influence in France and the rest of Europe. He also writes on battles and events in the American War for Independence. Hilliard Auberteuil, historian and economist, was best known as the author of 'Considerations sur etat present de la colonie francaise de Saint-Domingue where he was critical of the French administration of the Colony. He produced 'Essais Historiques' in Paris.<br/> <br/>