The Life and Art of
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Washington’s Tomb
Samuel L. Gerry (1813–91)
Signed and dated, lower left: “Gerry. 1839”
Oil on wood panel (17 7/8 x 14 3/4 in.)
Courtesy of Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, transfer from Harvard University, bequest of Edward Charles Pickering
1957.174
To gain skills required for his chosen profession, Gerry, like other budding artists, often copied existing paintings and prints. Sales records for Gerry paintings in the late 1830s indicate that Washington’s Tomb was just one of many works that Gerry copied from the popular engravings of American scenes that were sketched by English artist William Henry Bartlett. Since the engravings were printed in black and white, Gerry was free to use his imagination in adding color.
