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Fraktur 1971.304.1
Memorial to George Washington
Fraktur 1971.304.1

Memorial to George Washington

Date1828
Artist
OriginAmerica, New York, Suffolk
MediumWatercolor, pencil, and ink on wove paper
DimensionsPrimary support: 8 7/8 x 8in. (22.5 x 20.3cm) and Framed: 10 x 8in.
Credit LineGift of Mary Allis
Object number1971.304.1
DescriptionA circular composition on a rectangular sheet of paper shows two female figures and one male figure standing beside an obelisk topped tombstone at far right. A large anchor leans against the far left female figure; the female figure in the middle raises a handkerchief to her face, as does the male figure. A bust image of a man is shown in a roundel on the obelisk, and a willow bends over the tomb. The composition is enclosed by two concentric bands, or circles, one of them striped red and white. Lettering appears in the reserve below the composition.
The 3/4-inch black-painted cyma recta frame is a modern replacement.Label TextYoung Oliver Goldsmith derived the design of his memorial to the nation's first President from an 1801 engraving by T. Clarke of Boston. The primary elements appear to have been traced directly from the printed source. To compensate for inadequate technical skills, the twelve-year-old used bright colors and eliminated various details found in his model. The figure with the anchor represents Hope; for another version of Hope and the tomb, also copied from the Clarke engraving, see acc. no. 1935.404.1.
Goldsmith's "Memorial to George Washington" was one of a group of ten drawings by him found in a house in New Suffolk, Long Island, New York; one of the other pieces is dated April 4, 1826. It is not yet known whether the Folk Art Center's artist was the same Oliver B. Goldsmith who produced a number of calligraphic specimens in the mid-nineteenth century.Inscription(s)In brown ink in the bottom margin is "Oliver B Goldsmiths Painting Aged 12 year jan. th3 1828"; below the rondel is "Sacred to the Memory of the Illustrious G Washington"; on the face of the tomb is "G WASHINGTON" and "There is/Rest in/Heaven."ProvenanceFound in New Suffolk, Long Island, New York, by Ross and Mildred Piggott of Kinderhook, NY; acquired from them by Mary Allis of Fairfield, Conn.; given to CWF by Allis in 1971.