Chrysler Museum of Art
Norfolk, VA
757-664-6200
http://www.chrysler.org/
First in the Hearts of His Countrymen:
America Remembers George Washington (1732-1799)
November 23, 1999 through August, 2000
George Washington was an American icon of mythic proportions during
even his lifetime. His death in 1799 solidified that stature and plunged
the nation into deep mourning. In his famous 
eulogy, Henry Lee, eloquently and accurately summed
up the first President's role in the early republic - Washington was truly
"First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen."
So not surprisingly, Washington has been extensively celebrated in the fine
and decorative arts throughout the past two centuries. (left: Charles
Peale Polk (1767-1822), George Washington, c. 1793-94, oil on canvas,
36 1/8 x 29 inches, 63.16.6; right: Edward Hicks (1790-1849), Declaration
of Independence, 18th century, oil on canvas, 26 x 29 1/2 inches, 76.53.1)
F
irst in the Hearts of His Countrymen shows visitors just how pervasive Washington's image became as
he was celebrated in his lifetime and nearly canonized by subsequent generations.
Not only was his visage captured in fine paintings, it remains integral
to our nation's currency, and even became a part of everyday objects such
as whiskey flasks. Drawn primarily from the Chrysler's Permanent Collection,
this exhibition 
highlights
some of the fine and decorative art objects that pay special tribute to
our foremost Founding Father. (left: P.L. Krider, Yorktown Centennial
Medal, 1881, 1 15/16 inches diamater, 68.40.20; right: Libby Glass Company,
Toledo, Ohio, Glass Hatchet, 1893, pressed glass, 8 inches length,
79.166.18)
Read more in Resource
Library Magazine about the Chrysler
Museum of Art.
For further biographical information on selected artists
cited above please see America's Distinguished
Artists, a national registry of historic artists.
rev. 11/26/10
Search Resource
Library for thousands of articles and essays on American art.
Copyright 2010 Traditional Fine Arts Organization, Inc., an Arizona nonprofit corporation. All rights
reserved.
George Washington was an American icon of mythic proportions during
even his lifetime. His death in 1799 solidified that stature and plunged
the nation into deep mourning. In his famous 
eulogy, Henry Lee, eloquently and accurately summed
up the first President's role in the early republic - Washington was truly
"First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen."
So not surprisingly, Washington has been extensively celebrated in the fine
and decorative arts throughout the past two centuries. (left: Charles
Peale Polk (1767-1822), George Washington, c. 1793-94, oil on canvas,
36 1/8 x 29 inches, 63.16.6; right: Edward Hicks (1790-1849), Declaration
of Independence, 18th century, oil on canvas, 26 x 29 1/2 inches, 76.53.1)
