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Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object name |
Painting |
Title |
John Adams Proposing Washington for Commander-in-Chief |
Artist or maker |
John Ward Dunsmore (1856-1945) |
Date |
1913 |
Place of origin |
USA |
Physical description |
Frame plaque reads: WAR OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION/JOHN ADAMS PROPOSING WASHINGTON/FOR/COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY/JUNE 15, 1775/PAINTED BY/JOHN WARD DUNSMORE On June 15, 1775, John Adams, after many discussions with Samuel Adams, formally rose in his place and proposed Colonel Washington of Virginia for Commander-in-Chief of the armies that were being raised for the defense of the liberties of the colonies. John Hancock was President of the Congress and was in the chair. Colonel Washington, who was present as a delegate (in uniform) as soon as he heard the reference to himself, slipped from the room. This event took place in Inpendence Hall, where the sessions of Congress were being held. An original oil painting (painted 1913) by John Ward Dunsmore, of John Adams proposing George Washington for Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the Second Continental Congress in 1775. The Second Continental Congress was called on May 10, 1775 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The scene in the painting takes place inside Independence Hall, on June 15, 1775, shortly after Lexington and Concord. There are chairs and a few desks in the room, a fireplace on the left, and a clock and candles on the mantle. The three windows, half covered with dark green shades, are open, and trees can be seen outside. An elaborate chandelier hangs above. The president of the Congress, John Hancock (seated at the desk on the far left, a wicker basket full of crumpled papers to his right; the elaborate chair has a "rising sun" at the top), listens as John Adams (standing center, in yellow and purple) with a paper in his right hand, speaks. He proposes a commander-in-chief, in order to consolidate the American forces, and further proposes that Colonel George Washington, present as a delegate from Virginia, be appointed this title. George Washington, seated to the right of Adams (in uniform), leans forward in his chair. He supposedly slips out of the room after listening to Adams. Hancock leans across his desk, which is on a raised step, looking surprised. The other men in the room, 34 in total, are a mix of attentive listening and deep concentration. Some appear more interested in Adams' proposal than others. Benjamin Franklin stands in the background on the right, his arms crossed and his face stern. One man appears to be leaving, his hat in his hand. |
Past exhibit |
Dunsmore: Illustrating the American Revolutionary War |
Catalogue number |
1936.02.020 |
Collection name |
Paintings and Sculpture |
Credit line |
Gift of George A. Zabriskie Memorial, 1936 |
People |
Adams, John Washington, George Hancock, John Franklin, Benjamin |