Bartholomew Schaets (c.1816)

John Trumbull prints bring the founding moments of the United States into your home: battles of the Revolutionary War, Washington resigning his commission, and portraits of the men who built the new nation. Trumbull, a veteran of the war, is known as the Painter of the Revolution, and four of his paintings hang in the rotunda of the US Capitol. Our collection of fine art prints includes his battle scenes and studies, portraits, and early American landscapes.

About John Trumbull

John Trumbull was born on 6 June 1756 in Lebanon, Connecticut, the son of Jonathan Trumbull, governor of Connecticut from 1769 to 1784. A childhood accident cost him the use of one eye. He entered Harvard at fifteen and graduated in 1773. In the Revolutionary War he sketched the British and American lines at Boston, witnessed the Battle of Bunker Hill, and served as an aide-de-camp to George Washington before resigning in 1777.

In 1780 he sailed to London to study with Benjamin West, who encouraged him to paint small pictures of the war and miniature portraits. After the British hanged the American-captured spy John André, Trumbull was arrested in retaliation and held for seven months. He returned to London in 1784, and there painted The Battle of Bunker Hill and The Death of General Montgomery. In Paris, with help from Thomas Jefferson, he began The Declaration of Independence, painting the signers from life wherever he could.

Congress later bought four large paintings for the Capitol rotunda: The Declaration of Independence, The Surrender of General Burgoyne, The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis and General George Washington Resigning His Commission. Trumbull was president of the American Academy of the Fine Arts for nineteen years and helped found the Yale University Art Gallery, which opened in 1832 with his paintings. He died in New York on 10 November 1843 and is buried beneath the gallery at Yale.

Style and Subjects

Trumbull painted American history as a living witness. His battle scenes are dramatic and crowded, with dying generals, smoke and flags, painted with the energy he learned from Benjamin West. His great Capitol pictures are more formal: rows of carefully observed faces, many painted from life.

He was also a fine portraitist, and his small oil portraits of Revolutionary officers and statesmen, including Washington, Jefferson, John Adams and Alexander Hamilton, are among the best records of the founding generation. The collection includes these portraits, his battle sketches, life studies, and early landscapes of Connecticut such as Norwich Falls.

Famous Works

• The Death of General Montgomery in the Attack on Quebec (1786), Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven. One of his first Revolutionary battle pictures, painted in London.
• The Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton (c. 1787), Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven. A dramatic scene from the 1777 Battle of Princeton.
• The Sortie Made by the Garrison of Gibraltar (1789), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. A British military scene, now in the Metropolitan Museum.
• General George Washington at Trenton (1792), Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven. Trumbull called this portrait of Washington the best of those he painted.
• The Declaration of Independence (1817), United States Capitol rotunda, Washington. The famous scene used on the back of the two-dollar bill.
• The Surrender of General Burgoyne (1821), United States Capitol rotunda, Washington. The British surrender at Saratoga in 1777, one of the four Capitol paintings.
• General George Washington Resigning His Commission (1824), United States Capitol rotunda, Washington. Washington handing back his command to Congress in 1783.

Decorating with Trumbull Prints

Trumbull's paintings are a natural fit for a study, library or home office, especially for anyone who loves American history. A battle scene like The Death of General Mercer or The Surrender of General Burgoyne works well above a desk or fireplace with dark wood and leather.

His portraits of founding fathers, such as Thomas Jefferson or Alexander Hamilton, make a fine group in a hallway or dining room. For a lighter touch, Norwich Falls suits a living room or country-style kitchen.

FAQ

Why is John Trumbull called the Painter of the Revolution?

He served in the Revolutionary War, witnessed the Battle of Bunker Hill and was an aide to George Washington, then devoted much of his career to painting its battles and leaders.

What is John Trumbull's most famous painting?

The Declaration of Independence (1817), which hangs in the US Capitol rotunda, is his most famous work. It appears on the back of the current two-dollar bill.

Where can I see John Trumbull's paintings?

Four of his large history paintings hang in the US Capitol rotunda in Washington. The Yale University Art Gallery, which he helped found, holds many of his battle scenes and portraits, and others are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and New York City Hall.

Who taught John Trumbull?

He studied in London with the American-born painter Benjamin West, who encouraged him to paint small scenes of the Revolutionary War and miniature portraits.

Related Artists

• Benjamin West: his teacher in London, who suggested his Revolutionary War subjects
• Asher Brown Durand: engraved Trumbull's well-known portrait of Thomas Jefferson
• Maria Cosway: painter whom Trumbull introduced to Jefferson in Paris, and who commissioned his Jefferson portrait