The Washington Family

Thousands of small dots coalesce in this stipple engraving to depict George Washington and his family at their Virginia plantation estate, Mount Vernon. Martha Washington, her grandchildren, and the President gather around a plan for Washington, DC, the site for the new United States capital. A Black valet stands in the background. He is most likely Christopher Sheels, an enslaved personal servant who accompanied Washington to New York in 1789, where both men met the artist, Edward Savage.

Savage was a self-taught painter and engraver from Massachusetts who established his reputation by meeting the growing demand for images of the first president. He first created this family portrait as a monumental oil painting and then turned it into a print, which he published in Philadelphia and London. He included a French translation of its title in anticipation of international sales.