How History Unfolds on Paper: Important Americana from the Eric C. Caren Collection, Part X

George Washington, Esqr. General and Commander in Chief of the Continental Army in America
(London): C. Shepherd, September 9, 1775. Mezzotint, "Done from an Original, Drawn from the Life by Alexr. Campbell". Trimmed to plate mark. Approximately 14 x 10 in. (356 x 254 mm) (sight). Toned; scattered wear and repairs. Unexamined out of old frame. Baker 46; Hart 721; Fowble 75; Wick, pp. 18-22

One of the earliest engraved portraits of George Washington, and the first to be published in London and in Europe. Upon Washington's commission as commander of the Continental Army on June 15, 1775, demand abroad for images of his likeness skyrocketed. As English and European publishers had no authentic portraits to base their work on, the resulting images were typically inauthentic, and as seen here, based on fictitious sources (there is no record of an Alexander Campbell ever existing, and Washington denied that he had ever sat for a portrait by him). Nonetheless, in response to this image, Washington wrote, "Mr. Campbell...has made a very formidable figure of the Commander-in-Chief, giving him a sufficient portion of terror and countenance." This image of Washington proved incredibly influential in helping establish the English and European public's perception of Washington and the American Revolution more generally, and it was copied throughout the continent for prints, textiles, and medals.