The Reverend Mr George Whitefield, A.M.

Date1769

Engraver John Greenwood (1729-1792)

After work by Nathaniel Hone 1718 - 1784

Publisher Carington Bowles 1724 - 1793

Engraver J. Greenwood

OriginEngland, London

MediumMezzotint engraving on laid paper

DimensionsOverall: 18 1/4 × 11 1/2in. (46.4 × 29.2cm)
Other: 13 7/8 × 9 7/8in. (35.2 × 25.1cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number2010-71

DescriptionLower margin readss: "N. Hone pinx.t/ Carington Bowles/ J. Greenwood fecit/ The Reverend M.r George Whitefield, A.M./ Chaplain to the Countess of Huntingdon./ LONDON. Publish'd as the Act directs, July 1st, 1769/ Printed for CARINGTON BOWLES, N.o 69 S.t Pauls Church Yard."Label TextRevivalist preachers such as George Whitefield utilized print portraits to promote their religious doctrine. Whitefield's (1714-1770) fervent evangelical Methodist sermons inspired a religious revival in Great Britain and British North America. Achieving fame in his mid-20s, Whitefield gave expressive, theatrical sermons that enraptured his audience and drew large crowds. Colonists eagerly anticipated his arrival, and newspapers tracked his movements from New England to Georgia. Arriving in Williamsburg in December 1739, Whitefield preached to a smaller crowd at Bruton Parish Church. Still, 400 printed copies of his sermons promptly sold out.ProvenanceBefore 2010, Grosvenor Prints (London); 2010-present, purchased by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)