A circa-1790 portrait of George Washington by American artist Charles Peale Polk went on permanent exhibit on July 4 at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.
The portrait—depicting Washington as commander-in-chief and victor of the Battle of Princeton on Jan. 3, 1777—is prominently displayed in the Declaration of Independence rotunda in a section featuring material culture of officers and commanders of the Revolutionary War.
It joins approximately 500 period objects at the American Revolution Museum to tell the full story of the Revolution and the shaping of the nation through the personal stories of ordinary citizens and soldiers in extraordinary times. The museum will mark its 10-year anniversary in 2026 and continues a legacy that began 50 years ago with the opening of the Yorktown Victory Center for the 1976 Bicentennial.
The new portrait is significant, not only in storytelling at the time of our nation’s founding, but a robust addition to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation c...