George Washington en William Lee
1780
John Trumbull captured George Washington in this striking 1780 neoclassical portrait, standing heroically against a dramatic, stormy backdrop. Notice the figure behind him on horseback—that’s William Lee, Washington’s enslaved valet, who is one of the few enslaved individuals depicted in such a prominent position in early American art. While Washington poses with the calm confidence of a Roman general, Lee's presence adds a complex, often overlooked layer to the story of the Founding Fathers. Today, this powerful reminder of America's complicated history hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Location: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
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