Patrick Henry in the First Continental Congress

Print

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Patrick Henry's Red Hill

Name/Title

Patrick Henry in the First Continental Congress

Entry/Object ID

02.18

Description

Engraving by Wm. Finley & Co. after a painting by J.L.G. Ferris titled "Patrick Henry in the First Continental Congress." It shows Patrick Henry standing with his fist raised addressing a seated audience of delegates to the First Continental Congress. George Washington stands in a corner of the room to the right of Henry. Henry is dressed in black and wears his glasses on his head. His three cornered hat lies at the feet of the chair next to him. The picture is signed "J.L.G. Ferris 1895" in the lower right hand corner. Printed above the picture in small letters in the upper left hand corner: "Copyright 1895 by Wm. Finley & Co." The title is centered below the picture: "Patrick Henry in the First Continental Congress."

Artwork Details

Medium

Ink, Paper

Made/Created

Artist

Ferris, Jean Leon Gerome

Date made

circa 1895

Time Period

19th Century

Dimensions

Width

6 in

Length

9 in

Provenance

Notes

This portrait of Patrick Henry, taken before the First Continental Congress, was created by the renowned American painter Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863–1930). He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and in Paris at the Academie Julian. Ferris was inspired by American history, and many of his pieces feature historical subjects. Between 1900 and 1930, he created a series of historical scenes portraying America's past, which he intended to be viewed as a whole and not sold piecemeal. This image originally appeared as an illustration in a book, Volume Three of "The Library of Historic Characters and Famous Events of All Nations and All Ages." This volume was edited by A.R. Spofford and published by William Finley & Co. in 1894 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ferris often did book illustrations to support himself. This was one of his earlier works and was not part of his more famous collection of historical scenes, which he began after 1900. The Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation purchased this engraving from an online seller on October 16, 2002.