One of the landmark moments in the early days of our nation’s history was George Washington’s seizure of Yorktown.
An exhibit now at Roanoke’s Taubman Museum of Art highlights one of our first president’s greatest achievements in the military.
The seizure of Yorktown in 1781 effectively ended the Revolutionary War. But artwork capturing that moment has always proved to be a challenge, according to Katie Hirsch, Deputy Director of Exhibitions for the Taubman.
"They show the site of Yorktown - but it's very peaceful," she explained. "There's a plow that's been unhooked from the horse, and the farmer's taking it off into the distance. That might not immediately recall - seizure of Yorktown! American victory! But it is a scene of victory, because that place that was once a battle is a prosperous, peaceful piece of land."
The exhibit, “Washington’s Greatest Victory – Yorktown and American Art” also features a map that he carried, detailing plans for the battle at Yorktown, and a leather portfolio belonging to Washington, which he used to carry important papers during the Revolutionary War.
Hirsch's guest for a discussion at the Taubman on Friday, August 7, will be Adam Erby, Executive Director for Historic Preservation and Collections at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. He’ll provide some historical context behind the work.
"They’re created really over a period that begins right after the American Revolution, in the 1780’s, and goes all the way to the 1830’s," he said. "And in that time period, Americans think very differently about the country, and think very differently about the revolution, and the founding generation."
As the penultimate event of the American Revolution, Erby said the battle of Yorktown is underappreciated. He's done a lot of research on each artist featured in the Taubman exhibit. He's studied a period that begins right after the American Revolution, in the 1780's, lasting through the 1830's.
"In that time period, Americans think very differently about the country," Erby said, citing one specific moment in history, from 1800's artist John Gadsby Chapman.
"He paints this little scene - an ordinary agricultural field with a farmer, horse, and a plow. That's where (British Army Officer Charles) Lord Cornwallis laid down his arms. What he's saying in that is - the Americans are a different kind of people. What they have done, rather than erecting monuments, they've gone and lived their ordinary lives.
They are about the practicalities of daily lives. (Chapman) was really speaking to the importance of the American ideal. That changes fifty later - but in the 1830's, it's just an ordinary field, and that's where the country was founded."
The exhibit, at the Taubman through October 11th, also has an interactive touchscreen for those who want to know more about the artwork, who painted it, and where those moments fit into our country's 250 years.
This note of disclosure - The Taubman Museum of Art is a financial supporter of Radio IQ.
