The Washington Family

Mellon Collection, National Gallery of Art
The Washington Family by Edward Savage (1789-96).

The Washington Family by Edward Savage is a life-sized group portrait of U.S. President George Washington, First Lady Martha Washington, two of her grandchildren, and a slave. Based on life studies made early in Washington's presidency, Savage began the work in New York City, 1789–90, and completed it several years later in Philadelphia, 1795–96.[1] The enormous oil painting (7 ft. x 9 ft. 4 in. / 213 cm. x 284 cm.) is now at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.[2]

The image was a famous one in the 19th century. Prints were mass-produced by Savage beginning in 1798, and by John Sartain in 1840.[3]

The setting for the painting is idealized, with the Potomac River flowing in the background. Shown are grandson George Washington Parke Custis, George Washington, granddaughter Eleanor Parke Custis, Martha Washington, and an enslaved servant (probably Christopher Sheels).

With a plan of the future city of Washington in front of her, Martha Washington is, according to Savage's catalogue, "pointing with her fan to the grand avenue" (now the National Mall).[2][4][5][6] Holding a compass, young George's right hand rests near the top of a globe that lacks geographical markings.

A Vision Unfolds by Peter Waddell (2005)

An oil painting by Peter Waddell entitled A Vision Unfolds debuted in 2005 within an exhibition on Freemasonry that the Octagon House's museum in Washington, D.C., was hosting. The painting was again displayed in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011, first in the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska and later in the National Heritage Museum in Lexington, Massachusetts and in the Scottish Rite Center of the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C. Containing elements present in The Washington Family, Waddell's history painting depicts a meeting that is taking place within an elaborate surveying tent. In the imaginary scene, African American astronomer Benjamin Banneker presents a map of the Territory of Columbia (see: History of Washington, D.C.#Founding) to President Washington and surveyor Andrew Ellicott.[7]

Notes

  1. ↑ Savage lived in London, 1791–94, and did not resume work on the painting until after his return to the United States.
  2. 1 2 Savage, Edward. "The Washington Family 1789-1796". Collection. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art. Archived from the original on 2016-09-14. Retrieved 2016-10-24.
  3. ↑ The New York Times, December 30, 1892
  4. ↑ "Map 1: The L'Enfant Plan for Washington". National Park Service. Archived from the original on January 21, 2009. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
  5. ↑ Hanlon, Mary. "The Mall: The Grand Avenue, The Government, and The People". University of Virginia. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
  6. ↑ New York City was the capital of the United States from 1789-90, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania served as temporary national capital from 1790-1800, while Washington was under construction.
  7. ↑ (1) "A Vision Unfolds". Exhibitions: The Initiated Eye: Secrets, Symbols, Freemasonry and the Architecture of Washington, DC. Peter Waddell.com. Archived from the original on 2005-07-31. Retrieved 2016-10-22. A Vision Unfolds: 36" x 48", oil on canvas
    (2) "Biography". Peter Waddell. Peter Waddell.com. Archived from the original on 2012-01-09. Retrieved 2016-10-22. Exhibitions: .... 2005: The Initiated Eye: Secrets, Symbols, Freemasonry and the Architecture of Washington DC. The Octagon Museum, Washington, DC.
    (3) "Masonic Art Exhibit Opens at the Octagon". The Scottish Rite Journal of Freemasonry: Southern Jurisdiction, U.S.A.: Current Interest: July-August 2005. Washington, D.C. Retrieved 2016-10-23. Tuesday, May 17, was the grand opening of the Octagon Museum’s phenomenal exhibit, “The Initiated Eye: Secrets, Symbols, Freemasonry, and the Architecture of Washington, D.C.” Twenty-one paintings by Peter Waddell showcased the little-recognized contribution of Freemasons to the design and architecture of our nation’s capital.
    (4) "The Initiated Eye: Secrets, Symbols, Freemasonry and the Architecture of Washington, DC". ArtMagick. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-10-05. Retrieved 2016-12-02. The Initiated Eye: Secrets, Symbols, Freemasonry and the Architecture of Washington, DC, with Paintings by Peter Waddell, features 21 paintings by Waddell, a contemporary history painter, illustrates the Masonic connection to the building of early-19th century Washington. Exhibition Locations and Dates: USA, Nebraska, Omaha, Joslyn Art Museum: April 28, 2007 - June 10, 2007
    (5) "Benjamin Banneker". The Initiated Eye: Freemasonry and the Architecture of Washington, D.C. (exhibition). Lexington, Massachusetts: National Heritage Museum. 2009-12-17. Archived from the original on 2010-02-26. Retrieved 2016-10-22. The Initiated Eye" presents 21 oil paintings by Peter Waddell based on the architecture of Washington, D.C., and the role that our founding fathers and prominent citizens – many of whom were Freemasons – played in establishing the layout and design of the city. .... The painting shown here depicts a meeting between President George Washington (1732-1799) and surveyors Andrew Ellicott (1754-1820) and Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806). Congress designated the location of the new capital on January 24, 1791. Elliott and Banneker surveyed the ten-mile-square tract of land and produced a base map of the area. .... The Initiated Eye" opens December 19, 2009 and will be on view through January 9, 2011.
    (6) "A Vision Unfolds". The Initiated Eye: Panel 1. Washington, D.C.: The Grand Lodge of Free And Accepted Masons of the District of Columbia. 2013. Archived from the original on 2016-10-23. Retrieved 2016-12-02. A Vision Unfolds - Congress designated the location of the new Capitol on January 24, 1791. It was a ten-mile square parcel of land along the Potomac and Eastern Branch Rivers. Andrew Ellicott and Benjamin Banneker surveyed the tract of land and produced the base map. Banneker, a self taught African American surveyor and astronomer, plotted the locations of the forty boundary stones one mile apart along the entire perimeter. Note: Panel 1 contains a high-resolution image of A Vision Unfolds.
    (7) "Grand Lodge History & The Initiated Eye Painting Exhibit". Washington, D.C.: The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the District of Columbia. 2011-10-26. Archived from the original on 2016-10-23. Retrieved 2016-10-23. Illustrious Leonard Proden, 33˚, S.G.I.G. of the Supreme Council in D.C and Past Grand Master of Masons in D.C is pleased to announce that the Valley of Washington, Orient of the District of Columbia, will celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the founding of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the District of Columbia on Tuesday, November 15, 2011. All brethren, their family, and friends are invited to participate in this festive evening which will include: .... A special viewing of “The Initiated Eye”, the heralded collection of D.C. Masonic-themed paintings, on exhibition in Washington, D.C. again for the first time in over five years. The artist, Peter Waddell, will be on hand to present his latest addition to the collection, a celebratory painting commemorating the Bicentennial of the Grand Lodge of D.C.
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