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Primary sourcePainting1783

Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene

Charles Willson Peale · 1783

An oval portrait of General Nathanael Greene painted from life by Charles Willson Peale in 1783, showing him as the victorious Southern commander.

This life portrait by Peale shows Greene as the victorious Southern commander and is the standard image used to depict him.

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Oval portrait of a man with powdered gray hair, wearing a tan coat with a dark blue collar and gold epaulettes bearing silver stars, and a white cravat. Dark background, gilded oval frame.
Charles Willson Peale, Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene, 1783. National Park Service.

About this source

What it is

This oval portrait of Nathanael Greene was painted by Charles Willson Peale in 1783, as part of Peale's gallery of Revolutionary War heroes. It is held by the National Park Service.

Why it matters

Peale painted many Revolutionary leaders from life, creating some of the most trusted images we have of them. This portrait shows Greene after his success commanding American forces in the South, and became the standard image used to represent him.

Look closer

  • What does Greene's uniform, including the epaulettes and insignia, tell you about his rank and achievements?
  • Why might Peale have chosen to paint Greene after his Southern campaign rather than earlier in the war?
  • How might a portrait painted for a gallery of heroes differ from a casual sketch of the same person?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Nathanael Greene on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Handwritten manuscript letter on yellowed, creased paper, folded into sections, written in cursive ink in multiple columns. Visible text includes 'Dorchester near Boston 15 Feby 1784' and a passage about the writer's Continental Army affairs; a note on the right reads 'Inscription for the cannon... Taken from the British and presented to Major General Greene by order of Congress.'Letter

Primary source

Nathanael Greene Papers

Nathanael Greene · 1775–1786

Black-and-white photograph of an oval miniature portrait of a man with powdered hair, wearing a dark coat and white cravat, against a dark background, set on a blue backdrop.Painting

Primary source

Nathanael Greene

Charles Willson Peale · 1778

Oval painted portrait of a man with powdered gray hair wearing a tan coat with dark blue lapels, gold epaulettes with star insignia, and a white cravat, set against a dark background within a gold frame.Painting

Primary source

Portrait of Nathanael Greene

Charles Willson Peale

Oval miniature portrait painting of a man in a blue military coat with gold-yellow facing, white cravat, and powdered white hair, turned to his left. Gold border with an inscription reading Nathanael Greene, Brigadier-General in the Continental Army, painted from memory 1792.Painting

Secondary source

Nathanael Greene (1742-1786)

John Trumbull · 1792

Painting of a winter battle scene with stormy grey sky. Mounted George Washington in a tricorn hat sits centrally on a brown horse, facing left toward wounded and fallen soldiers. Officers in blue and buff uniforms surround him; a white horse and fallen figures lie in the foreground, with a drum and a dropped flag on the ground.Painting

Secondary source

The Capture of the Hessians at Trenton, December 26, 1776

John Trumbull · 1786 (begun), completed 1828

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