Celebrate Independence Day with patriotic collection works

On this day 249 years ago, the United States of America was officially born. The birth of a new nation gave members of the United States the freedom and opportunity to develop a unique culture of their own. Soon after, several American artists began to incorporate uniquely American ideas and symbolism within their artwork, reflecting a new, and ever evolving nation. Past Independence Day celebrations lacked the presence of hot dogs, hamburgers, and matching American-flag T-shirts, but it still embodied the patriotism we associate with the Fourth of July holiday today.  

In celebration of America’s Independence Day, a selection of particularly patriotic artworks within SLAM’s collection has been highlighted below.  

George Washington

Rembrandt Peale portrays George Washington (1732–1799) in military dress, gazing resolutely off into the distance. Washington was commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and the first president of the United States. In the decades following his death, public demand for Washington’s image grew. Beginning in 1824, Peale completed 79 versions of this portrait over a period of 40 years. This image became popular because it seemed to express the national ideal of liberty. Peale was the son of Charles Willson Peale, who established the first artistic dynasty in the United States. Many of his 10 children and numerous nieces, nephews, and grandchildren pursued careers as professional artists.

This work is on view in Gallery 338

Thanksgiving

Prolific American painter and illustrator Norman Rockwell embodied the 20th century Americana aesthetic. Rockwell often showcases iconic American symbols like the American flag. In Thanksgiving, a young woman with a United States Army coat draped over her shoulders crouches amidst rubble and ruin in war-torn Italy. She folds her hands in thanksgiving over the meager meal perched on her lap. On November 27, 1943, amidst the fighting of World War II (1939–1945), a copy of this painting appeared on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post, urging readers to remember others less fortunate than themselves on a holiday devoted to gratitude. The sitter who modeled for this painting, 13-year-old Aline Ponton of Vermont, was one of more than 500 girls that Rockwell photographed for this work. She received $10 for her photograph and learned that her image had been selected for the final work only when the Saturday Evening Post arrived at her door. 

This work is on view in Gallery 333. 

Marching Band

Marching Band represents Helen LaFrance’s memory of a Fourth of July parade in Louisville, Kentucky. Recognizable elements of the holiday include flags and red, white, and blue balloons that become abstracted dots in the sky. Central to the scene, a marching band parades down the street. The difference in scale between the building, marching band, and spectators demonstrates a wonderfully personal take on perspective. While LaFrance understood technical aspects of painting, such as realistic perspective, she preferred flat patterns and skewed space for the way in which they create a more animated vision.

Pitcher, Apotheosis of Washington

“A man without example, a patriot without reproach,” from Thomas Paine’s eulogy for General Washington, voices sentiments for a nation mourning the death of its greatest hero, George Washington. On one side, female figures representing Britain and America admire plans for Washington, DC. On the other side, a godlike Washington is lifted toward heaven by poetry, history, and immortality while America weeps at his feet. Depicting Washington in religious terms was popular only briefly before giving way to the sedate image familiar today. An English manufacturer produced this pitcher even though Washington had led a successful rebellion against Britain. The profit to be made from the new nation’s patriotic fervor was irresistible, and objects like this pitcher flooded the American market.

The Church Supper

Townspeople eat supper, converse with friends, rest, and feed table scraps to their pets in this painting of a church social. James Turnbull included a representation of himself at the right, leaning against a tree. This particular gathering is reminiscent of the image we associate with a Fourth of July picnic today. This picnic took place at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Des Peres, Missouri. Longtime church members recall fondly the many afternoon picnics held outdoors because the church lacked a basement fellowship hall. Such depictions of everyday life were in favor in the 1930s and 1940s. Their popularity helped to bring recognition to similar everyday scenes pictured by self-taught artists in memory paintings.

Jolly Flatboatmen in Port

This painting depicts a flatboat docked at a wharf in St. Louis, where boatmen amuse themselves with homespun entertainment. The revelry is so lively that another flatboat has pulled alongside to observe it. Missouri native George Caleb Bingham encompasses the Midwestern American spirit, featuring hardworking men with a cheerful attitude. Bingham has organized the crowd in a pyramid, with the smiling dancer waving his red handkerchief at its apex. Though early 19th-century writers described flatboatmen as violent, rambunctious individuals living on the margins of society, Bingham’s rosy-cheeked river workers appear more mischievous than threatening.

This work is on view in Gallery 336.

Lady in Blue and Red

This luminous portrait is painted in watercolor on a thin sheet of ivory and measures only 4 inches high. These features identify this artwork as a “miniature portrait.” Conceived as personal mementos and tokens of affection, she wears a white sleeved dress that is cinched at her waist by a thin gold sash and adorned in a rich blue and red coat. The woman also has a gold necklace with a pendant of blue- and red-colored jewels that match her gold drop earrings that have a red-colored jewel in the center. This portrait is attributed to George Lethbridge Saunders, a British artist who worked in the United States from 1840 to 1850. During his decade in North America, he traveled extensively and painted miniatures in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, and South Carolina. Though the name of this young woman and her location are still unknown, her attire certainly fits the spirit of the Fourth of July.