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Artists' Eyes on the American Revolution:

John Trumbull's Paintings of U.S. History

John Trumbull was an American painter and military officer, best known for his paintings of the Revolutionary War, of which he was a veteran. He has been called the "Painter of the Revolution".

On July 4, 2026, America will celebrate 250 years of independence. 

This is part 2 of a 3 part series.

Inspired by the upcoming celebrations of America250, this program will chronologically explore the artistic life of John Trumbull (1756 – 1843), including his works of art from the tristate area. Blind in one eye and a graduate from Harvard College, Trumbull served in the American Revolutionary War, sketching maps for the military and serving as an assistant to Generals Washington and Gates.

In 1780 and 1784, he left for London to study under the American Benjamin West, who encouraged him to paint miniature portraits and small scenes of the war. Trumbull went on to become one of the chief portrait artists in America—including creating portraits of George Washington—as well as the painter of huge scenes from the Revolutionary War, four of which now hang in the United States Capitol rotunda in Washington, D.C. The Declaration of Independence there served as a model for the reverse image of the current United States two-dollar bill.

Presenter: Dr. Michael Norris got his BA in classics from the University of California at San Diego and his MA in classics and Ph.D. in art history at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He spent twenty years at the Cloisters Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and has lectured on trips all over the world. He lives in Teaneck, New Jersey. 

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