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Description

Scarce early portrait of George Washington, engraved in London by C. Shepard from an original painting of Alexander Campbell of Williamsburg, Virginia.

An early mezzotint portrait of the Commander-in-Chief, executed anonymously but credited to "Alexander Campbell," a fictitious 18th-century artist. Produced at a time when there was high demand for prints of the already legendary but portraiture-shy leader. In jest, Washington’s aide-de-camp reportedly sent a copy of one of Campbell's spurious portraits to Mrs Washington. The Commander replied: "Mrs. Washington desires I will thank you for the Picture sent her. Mr Campbell whom I never saw (to my knowledge) has made a very formidable figure of the Commander in Chief giving him a sufficient portion of Terror in his Countenance".

Condition Description
Trimmed inside neatlines and laid on a larger sheet of paper, in the style of the period. Includes an auction or dealer catalog entry from late 19th or early 20th century.
Reference
Hart 730; Joseph Manca George Washington’s Eye: Landscape, Architecture, and Design at Mount Vernon, pp.215-16.