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Secondary sourcePainting1792

Nathanael Greene (1742-1786)

John Trumbull · 1792

A posthumous miniature portrait of Nathanael Greene painted from memory by John Trumbull in 1792, shaping many later engravings of the general.

Trumbull painted this posthumous portrait of Greene from memory, shaping later images of the general.

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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.
John Trumbull, Nathanael Greene, painted from memory, 1792. Yale University Art Gallery.

About this source

What it is

This oval miniature portrait of Nathanael Greene was painted by John Trumbull in 1792, after Greene's death, based on Trumbull's memory of him. It is held by the Yale University Art Gallery and is inscribed identifying Greene as a Brigadier-General in the Continental Army.

Why it matters

Trumbull, who served in the Continental Army himself, painted many Revolutionary figures. Because this portrait was made from memory rather than from life, it shows how artists preserved the images of leaders who had already died, shaping how later generations pictured them.

Look closer

  • What does the inscription on the portrait tell you about how Trumbull wanted Greene to be remembered?
  • How might a portrait painted from memory differ from one painted from life?
  • Why might Trumbull's personal experience in the army have influenced how he portrayed Greene?

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

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Charles Willson Peale · 1783

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

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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

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Portrait of Nathanael Greene

Charles Willson Peale

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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