About

John Trumbull (1756–1843) experienced the American Revolution firsthand—he served as aid to George Washington and Horatio Gates, was shot at, and was jailed as a spy. He made it his mission to record the war, giving visual form to what most citizens of the new United States thought: that they had brought into the world a great and unprecedented political experiment. His purpose, he wrote, was “to preserve and diffuse the memory of the noblest series of actions which have ever presented themselves in the history of man.” Although Trumbull’s contemporaries viewed him as a painter, Trumbull thought of himself as a historian. Richard Brookhiser tells Trumbull’s story of acclaim and recognition, a story complicated by provincialism, war, a messy personal life, and, ultimately, changing fashion. He shows how the artist’s fifty-year project embodied the meaning of American exceptionalism and played a key role in defining the values of the new country. Trumbull depicted the story of self-rule in the modern world—a story as important and as contested today as it was 250 years ago.

Richard Brookhiser is an American journalist and biographer and is most widely known for a series of biographies of America’s founders, including Alexander Hamilton, Gouverneur Morris, and George Washington. He is a senior editor of National Review and a fellow of the National Review Institute. His books include Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington; Founders’ Son: A Life of Abraham Lincoln; John Marshall; James Madison; and Glorious Lessons: John Trumbull, Painter of the American Revolution.

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

This lecture is part of the VMHC's Commemoration of America's 250th Anniversary.

Ticket Pricing:

1831 & Weddell Society Members** - Complimentary
Weddell Society Members, please contact the VMHC Membership Office at 804.342.9678 or Giving@VirginiaHistory.org to register
Patron Members - $18
VMHC Members - $28
Non-Members - $38

Program Notes:

Tickets are required for admission.
Guests are invited to stay for light refreshments and book signing following the lecture.
Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase.