did you know that Washington Crossing the Delaware painting is incorrect?

Question

1. Back then, the horses shown in the boats would not have been able to keep the boat afloat.

2. It was night time when this happened, obviously the bright light would not have been there coming from the clouds.

3. Washington standing in the row boat would not be very safe.

4. Washington was supposively 44 when crossing the Delaware. However, here he looks very young.

5. Finally, the ice shown here is not accurate. It would've been thick enough to push the boats down the river.

Just some trivia for ya

Answer 1

It's political propaganda.

Answer 2

Your instructor ought to think of it is April fool's day. Ask her or him for the information. to boot, the Delaware River isn't all that extensive at Washington Crossing, NJ, the place this historic adventure befell. there is not any information that Washington laid down interior the boat or have been given unwell. Emmanuel Leutze took a number of liberties together with his portray. The scene became into adorned exhibiting George proudly status interior the bow of the boat while he crossed the river. He sat like everybody else for defense reasons and additionally to be much less significant to all people on the different shore. It became right into a stealth operation. to boot, the american flag interior the portray became into of layout that became into no longer observed till 1777, a 300 and sixty 5 days after this historic adventure. whether, Mr. Leutze could be excused. The rationale of his portray became into meant to be extra symbolic and encouraging somewhat than traditionally precise.

Answer 3

Check out the flag, too. The flag in the painting is what is known as the "Betsy Ross" version. Though the date of when it was developed and used is sometimes debated, it is generally accepted that this would not have been a flag carried by the army at the time of the crossing.

Answer 4

Very interesting. History paintings are often very inaccurate, depictions are many times influenced by politics or a desire to please the person who commissioned the work. Let me give you another example of the twisting of facts. The French painter BAron Jean-Antoine Gros (1771-1835) was the official chronicler at one point for Napoleon's army. He never travelled with them, but his romantic view of battles and incidents added greatly to the legends about Napoleon's heroism and bravery. IIn the painting Pesthouse in Jaffa, e.g.http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/gros/jaffa/jaffa.html see little pic to left . Nap. is shown as acting with great compassion, visiting the pesthouse after the plague had broken out in the cita of Jaffa in Palestine then occupied by the French (1799). Gros shows Nap. tocuching the body of one of the sufferers who had been soldiers in his army. . But an eye witness, refers to the empereror 'kicking the plague-ridden men with the sole of his boot'! (Gros deliberately paints Napoleon in a 'healing' gesture as if he Christ - this is how the French people were encouraged to think of him). IThis was a time when Napoleon was being heavily criticized at home for his brutal behaviour regarding the slaughter of 3000 Turkish prisoners and the fact he left behind the sick men because it would hold up his retreat from the area.

Answer 5

Thanks for enlightening. These never crossed my mind. Will take a more careful look next time.