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Summary
Cannonading on the Potomac, October, 1861
( )
Artist
Alfred Wordsworth Thompson
(1840–1896)
Alternative names
Wordsworth Thompson
Description
American painter
Date of birth/death
26 May 1840
28 August 1896
Location of birth/death
Baltimore
Summit
Work location
Europe, United States of America (New York City)
Authority file
: Q21994015
VIAF: 33795007
ISNI: 0000000076914459
ULAN: 500003027
LCCN: n99270962
BNF: 161829928
WorldCat
artist QS:P170,Q21994015
Title
Cannonading on the Potomac, October, 1861
Object type
painting
object_type QS:P31,Q3305213
Date
between circa 1868 and circa 1870
date QS:P571,+1850-00-00T00:00:00Z/7,P1319,+1868-00-00T00:00:00Z/9,P1326,+1870-00-00T00:00:00Z/9,P1480,Q5727902
Medium
oil on canvas
medium QS:P186,Q296955;P186,Q12321255,P518,Q861259
Dimensions
height: 84.3 cm (33.1 in); width: 179.2 cm (70.5 in)
dimensions QS:P2048,84.3U174728
dimensions QS:P2049,179.2U174728
Collection
White House
Native name
White House
Parent institution
White House Complex
Location
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, District of Columbia 20500 United States of America
Coordinates
38° 53′ 52″ N, 77° 02′ 12″ W
Established
1792
Website
whitehouse.gov
Authority file
: Q35525
VIAF: 155235437
ULAN: 500312779
LCCN: sh85146483
NAID: 10676368
NLA: 49682301
WorldCat
institution QS:P195,Q35525
Current location
Washington, D.C., United States
Notes
Notes from Kloss, William, et al. Art in the White House: A Nation's Pride. Washington, D.C.: The White House Historical Association, 2008:
" . . . [T]his painting . . . almost certainly depicts an episode of October 20, 1861 [during the Civil War], that had serious consequences for the Army of the Potomac. It occurred near Leesburg, Virginia, some 40 miles upriver from Washington. Hoping to cause the Confederates to withdraw by making them think a full-scale attack was imminent, Gen. George B. McClellan made a suggestion to division commander Gen. Charles P. Stone on the Maryland side of the river: 'Perhaps a slight demonstration on your part would have the effect to move them.' That afternoon at Edwards Ferry, east of Leesburg and just below Harrison's Island, Stone had his artillery fire several shells across the river.
"The casualness in Thompson's rendering of the scene reflects the reality. That only one cannon seems to be firing indicates the desultory nature of the maneuver. . . . Members of the drum corps lounge about, and the air of nonengagement is in keeping with the softly painted autumnal centerpiece of the scene, pumpkins scattered among corn shocks. . . . All the details are subordinated to the panoramic sweep of the landscape, itself calm and peaceful despite the puff of smoke from the cannon. . . .
"Although the action depicted occurred in October 1861, the painting . . . must have been executed much later from sketches, since Thompson left America before the end of 1861."
Credit Line: The White House Historical Association (White House Collection)
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{{Painting | Artist = Alfred Wordsworth Thompson | Title = Cannonading on the Potomac, October, 1861 | Year = circa 1868-1870 | Technique = {{oil on canvas}} | Dimensions = {{Size|cm|84.3|179.2}} | Gallery
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