Washington Rallying the Americans at the Battle of Princeton,

1848

During the initial engagement of the Battle of Princeton, British forces dispersed the vanguard American brigade after bayoneting its leader, General Hugh Mercer. In response, George Washington arrived dramatically on horseback to rally the troops, bolstered by fresh reinforcements and artillery. Mercer’s men reassembled, contributing significantly to the eventual American victory. As here depicted by William Ranney, General Washington is shown astride a rearing white steed in the tradition of heroic military portraiture, in particular Jacques-Louis David’s clearly related Napoleon at Saint Bernard (1800). Washington is depicted improbably close to the opposing Hessian soldiers, with no trace of the reinforcements who accompanied him, as if to imply his undisputed agency in effecting the rally and ensuing victory. The picture was long thought to be the work of American painter Henry Inman, as it bears that artist’s signature and the date 1834. A cleaning following the painting’s arrival at Princeton, however, revealed a second signature and date: "W Ranney 1848." Logic would dictate that Ranney had simply completed an unfinished work by Inman, not an uncommon practice then, but Inman, primarily a portraitist, is not known to have undertaken a painting anything like this one, nor does reference to it appear in any of the contemporary literature surrounding him. Moreover, while subsequent technical analysis revealed extensive overpainting throughout the image and evidence of two hands in its creation, neither particularly accords with Inman’s work. Hence, it appears likely that the painting’s initial conception was indeed Ranney’s, who in fact completed several similar historical pictures about the American Revolution. When, why, and by whom it was altered remain inconclusive, although it seems plausible the historically greater renown and market value of Inman’s work in relation to Ranney’s may have been a factor in the presence of his signature.