Major General Nathanael Greene c. 1791

Curator: Here we have a portrait drawing of Major General Nathanael Greene, made circa 1791 by John Trumbull. It's primarily rendered in pencil. Editor: The sketch is interesting! It's so delicate. You can almost see the pressure of the artist's hand as he's forming Greene's likeness, a fleeting image of this historical figure on simple paper. Curator: Absolutely, and note the paper itself. It shows age, suggesting that Trumbull might have kept it for years. The neo-classical influence is pretty evident here. He wanted to memorialize Revolutionary heroes like Greene within this classical tradition. Editor: Considering the social climate at the time, what role do you think these images played in shaping public perception of figures like Greene, especially during the nation’s infancy? It would've reinforced ideas about patriotism, virtue, and civic responsibility, no? Curator: Undoubtedly. Trumbull positioned Greene within a lineage of leadership and the drawing allowed for affordable reproduction. And look at how economically the artist used pencil. Just a few strokes defining the face, implying the form and materiality of his jacket. The labor is very clear. It is more than simply showing a likeness, it is producing an ideology through relatively quick and economical materials. Editor: You’re right, I hadn’t thought about it in terms of material access. But I wonder about the intended audience and display contexts, though? Were prints of drawings like these distributed widely, adorning homes, taverns, civic buildings, shaping the collective memory of the revolution. It is also interesting to note that the picture looks unfinished. It could very well be a prepatory study and in that case our entire interpretation would change. Curator: Exactly. This simple drawing helps unpack much bigger questions related to revolutionary image making. Even the status of "unfinishedness" speaks volumes about the processes and means through which the historical figures are introduced and framed as images. Editor: I find this quite thought provoking. Curator: Indeed! It is a striking look at not only portraiture, but its purpose.