Professional Documents
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Historical context
The Death of General Wolfe depicts the Battle of Quebec, also known as the Battle of the Plains of
Abraham, on September 13, 1759. This was a pivotal event in the Seven Years' War and decided the
fate of France's colonies in North America.
The battle was fought between the British Army and the French Army; the pitched fighting lasted only
fifteen minutes. The British Army was commanded by General Wolfe. Although successful in holding
the British line against the French and winning the battle, General Wolfe was mortally wounded by
several gunshots.
In death, General Wolfe gained fame as a national hero. He became an icon of Britain's victory during
the Seven Years' War to people throughout the British Empire.[1] There were lines to see this painting
stretching out the door at its first exhibition in London.[2]
Details
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West depicts General Wolfe as a Christ-like figure. This painting has a triangular composition, made
by the top of the flag (as the apex) and the positions of the men. It resembles Christian "Lamentation"
scenes, where Christ is held in the embrace of the Virgin Mary.[3]
The depiction of the Indigenous warrior in the painting, by kneeling with his chin on his fist and
looking at General Wolfe, has been analyzed in various ways. In art, the touching of one's face with
one's hand is a sign of deep thought and intelligence (thus, Auguste Rodin's The Thinker). Some
consider it an idealization inspired by the noble savage concept. Original items of clothing that were
used as a model for portraying the warrior in the painting can be found in the British Museum's
collection (as well as additional First Nations' artifacts used in other paintings by West).[5]
On the ground in front of Wolfe are his musket, cartridge box and bayonet. Wolfe went into battle
armed as his men were, but his musket was of higher quality. His dress is also of note. He is wearing a
red coat, a red waistcoat, red breeches and a white shirt. Such dress was rather simple, especially for a
commanding officer.
Next to Wolfe, in the blue jacket, is Dr Thomas Hinde, who is attempting to stem the bleeding from
Wolfe's wounds. The general later died in the doctor's hands.
In the background and to the left of the men surrounding Wolfe, an approaching runner is depicted.
He is waving his hat in one hand to attract their attention and in the other hand carries a captured
flag with the fleur-de-lis, a symbol of France, symbolic of the news relayed to the dying Wolfe that the
French were being defeated.
The inclusion of Simon Fraser, Lieutenant Colonel of the 78th Fraser Highlanders (behind the man in
green uniform, identified in the painting as Sir William Johnson) is interesting, as General Wolfe
reportedly spoke highly of Fraser's regiment, but Fraser was not at the battle, as he was recovering
from wounds received earlier. In the painting, Fraser wears the Fraser tartan, which was probably
worn by officers in that regiment. All in all, only four of the fourteen men depicted were actually at the
battleground.
West's choice to depict his subjects in contemporary clothing was highly controversial at the time.
Although the depicted events had taken place only eleven years earlier, the prevailing convention of
West's time would have been to convey such subject matter in a history painting, an artistic tradition
in which the portrayal of contemporary dress was considered unsuitable. During the painting process,
Sir Joshua Reynolds instructed West to clothe the subjects in classical attire to which West declined.
After the completion of the painting, George III refused to purchase it since he believed that West's
choice of clothing compromised the dignity of the image. However, subsequent years brought a shift
in opinion and artistic convention, and the painting was largely redeemed and overcame earlier
objections, inaugurating a practice of greater contemporary accuracy in history painting.[3]
The painting was originally exhibited at the Royal Academy in London. It was presented to Canada in
1921 as a tribute for its service in the First World War.[7]
William Woollett's engraving was the best-known copy of West's original painting and became
popular around the world. A black-and-white copy of the engraving can be seen at Brodick Castle, on
the Isle of Arran, Scotland.
Variants
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There is no evidence that any of the figures surrounding Wolfe in the painting were actually present at
his death. All of them were senior military figures and would have been busy elsewhere in battle
because Wolfe died at the height of the battle itself and not afterward.[11] However, West's choice to
show Wolfe's death in the figurative manner of a dying martyr, many comparing it to Christ,
transforms Wolfe's death from a simple casualty of war to one of a hero that symbolized the British
cause.[16]
Legacy
Despite the fact that the painting is a more dramatized version of Wolfe's death than reality, West's
work was groundbreaking for art of its time.[11] Previously, contemporary scenes were painted in a
Greek and Roman setting. Others advised West against using realistic 18th-century visuals such as
modern costumes. Although Wolfe's death had already been painted by at least two other artists
before West, and both paintings also strove to portray Wolfe and his death in a more realistic style,
the success of West's painting helped to further establish a new style of art that others had already
begun to pioneer.[1] Wolfe's death and the portrayal of that event by Benjamin West make up half of
Simon Schama's historical work Dead Certainties: Unwarranted Speculations (1991).
See also
Great Britain in the Seven Years' War
Notes
1. "Benjamin West: General Wolfe and the Art of Empire" (http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/10aa/10aa128.ht
m). www.tfaoi.com.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_General_Wolfe 3/5
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2. Fargo, Jason (25 November 2020). "The Myth of North America, in One Painting" (https://www.nyt
imes.com/interactive/2020/11/25/arts/benjamin-west-general-wolfe.html). The New York Times.
Retrieved 11 December 2020.
3. Zygmont, Bryan. "Benjamin West's The Death of General Wolfe."Zygmon, Bryan. "Benjamin
West's The Death of General Wolfe" (https://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/benjamin-wests-the-d
eath-of-general-wolfe.html). Smarthistory. Khan Academy. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
4. Trust, National. "The Death of General James Wolfe (1727-1759) 851783" (http://www.nationaltrus
tcollections.org.uk/object). www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk.
5. "Collection" (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection). The British Museum.
6. "New Brunswick Museum" (https://web.archive.org/web/20090619055946/http://website.nbm-mn
b.ca/Wolfe/ThePhenomenon.html). Archived from the original (http://website.nbm-mnb.ca/Wolfe/T
hePhenomenon.html) on June 19, 2009.
7. "The National Gallery of Canada: The Death of General Wolfe, 1770" (http://www.gallery.ca/en/se
e/collections/artwork.php?mkey=5363). 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
8. "Death of General Wolfe | An Introduction to 19th Century Art" (https://www.19thcenturyart-facos.c
om/artwork/death-general-wolfe). www.19thcenturyart-facos.com.
9. "UMMA's spectacular 'General Wolfe' exhibit the don't-miss art event this year" (http://www.annarb
or.com/entertainment/umma-general-wolfe/). AnnArbor.com. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
10. "U-M Clements Library celebrates 'The Death of General Wolfe,' iconic 1776 painting by Benjamin
West" (https://news.umich.edu/u-m-clements-library-celebrates-the-death-of-general-wolfe-iconic-
1776-painting-by-benjamin-west/). University of Michigan News. 2019-10-15. Retrieved
2020-04-06.
11. "Bulletin 7, Benjamin West and 'The Death of Wolfe' by Colonel C. P. Stacey, Director of History
Department of National Defence" (https://www.gallery.ca/bulletin/num7/stacey1.html).
www.gallery.ca.
12. "Explore the Royal Collection Online" (https://www.rct.uk/collection/search). www.rct.uk.
13. Montagna, 80.
14. "Russborough.com:The Death of Wolfe" (http://www.russborough.com/antique_prints/military/seve
n_years_war/death_of_wolfe.html#deathofwolfe). www.russborough.com.
15. Michelle Facos. "Death of General Wolfe" (http://www.19thcenturyart-facos.com/artwork/death-ge
neral-wolfe). Retrieved January 9, 2015.
16. "Benjamin West, The Death of General Wolfe (article)" (https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/
art-americas/british-colonies/colonial-period/a/benjamin-wests-the-death-of-general-wolfe). Khan
Academy.
References
Ayers, William, ed., Picturing History: American Painting 1770–1903, ISBN 0-8478-1745-8
Fryd, Vivien Green. "Rereading the Indian in Benjamin West's 'Death of General Wolfe.'"
American Art, Vol. 9, No. 1. (Spring, 1995), pp. 72–85. Online document from Jstor (https://www.js
tor.org/stable/3109196)
Montagna, Dennis. "Benjamin West's The Death of General Wolfe: A Nationalist Narrative",
American Art Journal (Volume 13, Number 2, 1981): 72–88.
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