Portrait of George Washington Purchased by Anne Brown (1956)
Title
Portrait of George Washington Purchased by Anne Brown (1956)
Description
The three Americana portraits represent Anne Seddon Kinsolving Brown’s passion for military uniforms and regalia. She acquired the trio of portraits together in 1956 for $14,700. Before Anne bought them, they found their way from France to a military collection in Rhode Island, “a state in whose history each of the three generals had an important part.”
The artist of the portraits of Marquis Lafayette and George Washington is attributed to Jean-Baptiste Le Paon, an eighteenth century French painter. He was known for painting battle and mitiarlistic scenes and was appointed “premier peintre du prince de Conde”. And the portrait of Comte de Rochambeau is attributed to another French painter by the name of Gelee.
The frame of Washington’s portrait depicts the shield of the United States at the top, while the other two feature the Brown family coat of arms.
The Washington portrait, from the early 1780s, imitates a Charles Wilson Peale portrait of the general. The portrait presents Washington in a relaxed posture after the Battle of Yorktown. He is dressed in the Continental Army blue and buff and his blue ribbon denotes his status as a staff officer while the background features the defeated enemy’s colors.
The artist of the portraits of Marquis Lafayette and George Washington is attributed to Jean-Baptiste Le Paon, an eighteenth century French painter. He was known for painting battle and mitiarlistic scenes and was appointed “premier peintre du prince de Conde”. And the portrait of Comte de Rochambeau is attributed to another French painter by the name of Gelee.
The frame of Washington’s portrait depicts the shield of the United States at the top, while the other two feature the Brown family coat of arms.
The Washington portrait, from the early 1780s, imitates a Charles Wilson Peale portrait of the general. The portrait presents Washington in a relaxed posture after the Battle of Yorktown. He is dressed in the Continental Army blue and buff and his blue ribbon denotes his status as a staff officer while the background features the defeated enemy’s colors.
Creator
Le Paon, Jean-Baptiste
Source
Digital copy created by the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage
Date
Early 1780s (Approx.)
Contributor
Minah Seo
Rights
Rights Status Not Evaluated
Citation
Le Paon, Jean-Baptiste , “Portrait of George Washington Purchased by Anne Brown (1956),” Digital Tours of The Nightingale-Brown House , accessed December 19, 2025, https://cds.library.brown.edu/NBHouse/items/show/54.