[PRINTED RECEIPT FOR A SUBSCRIPTION FEE FOR SORTIE OF GIBRALTAR]

[Trumbull, John]

Published by [London?], 1789

About this Item

Single sheet, 3 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches, mounted on cardboard. Old fold lines. Near fine. Receipt for a print of one of Trumbull's most famous historical paintings, "The Sortie Made by the Garrison of Gibraltar, 27 November 1781." The receipt reads: "Received the 16th Day of June, 1789, from Rev. Dr. Davis the Sum of Three guineas, being One Half of the Subscription for a Proof Print of the Sortie of Gibraltar, which We promise to deliver, according to the Proposals. [signed] J.Cracknell, Jno. Trumbull, Willm. Sharp." The receipt bears an embossed notary seal. Trumbull had been, up to this point, primarily painting scenes from the American Revolution. Being in England and finding his Revolutionary scenes none too popular in that venue, he undertook to celebrate a British feat of arms, producing this masterful work. Hailed as the official painter of the Revolution, Trumbull studied painting and art in England and France. The youngest son of the governor of Connecticut, the elder John Trumbull very much wanted his son to go into law. Trumbull did study the law, but gladly joined the fight against the British when the Revolution broke out. He eventually served as Washington's second aide-de-camp, having been brought to the General's attention through some very accurate drawings he had made of British gun emplacements. He rose to the rank of colonel as a deputy adjutant- general, but resigned the commission he finally received because it was dated three months late, a slight his honor could not tolerate. He refused to return to the law, finding it quite distasteful, and chose instead to pursue his true passion, art, against his family's wishes. Although he was never particularly wealthy in this pursuit, he did achieve a certain amount of success in his lifetime. Among his most famous works are those commissioned in 1817 by Congress to adorn the Capitol: "The Surrender of General Burgoyne at Saratoga," "The Surrender of General Cornwallis at Yorktown," "The Declaration of Independence," and "The Resignation of General Washington." DAB XIX, pp.11-15. Helen A. Cooper, JOHN TRUMBULL: THE HAND AND SPIRIT OF A PAINTER (Yale, 1982), pp.10-11. Seller Inventory # WRCAM40197

Bibliographic Details

Title: [PRINTED RECEIPT FOR A SUBSCRIPTION FEE FOR ...

Publisher: [London?]

Publication Date: 1789