Louis Nicholas Van Blarenberghe, Siege of Yorktown, 1786. Gouache on panel. Courtesy of a Private Collection

Washington’s Greatest Victory: Yorktown and American Art

Name: Washington’s Greatest Victory: Yorktown and American Art
Start: 2026-07-02T00:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-11-11T23:59:59-05:00

Jul 02, 2026 – Nov 11, 2026

In 1781, the Siege of Yorktown secured George Washington’s greatest military victory and effectively ended the Revolutionary War. Because Yorktown was a siege rather than a dramatic battle, artists have long faced the challenge of how to represent its significance in visual art. Over time, they turned to portraits, landscapes, battle scenes, and commemorative images to capture the meaning of this pivotal moment.

Organized in collaboration with George Washington’s Mount Vernon and presented in celebration of the 250th anniversary of American independence, Washington’s Greatest Victory: Yorktown and American Art explores how artists have interpreted Yorktown and shaped its place in national memory.

EXHIBITION PREVIEW

Charles Wilson Peale, George Washington at Yorktown, ca. 1780-1782. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of a Private Collection.

Louis-Charles-Auguste Couder, Study for the Siege of Yorktown, 1836. Oil on canvas. George Washington’s Mount Vernon, purchased by the A. Alfred Taubman Acquisition Endowment Fund, 2019 Conservation courtesy of The Founders, Washington Committee Endowment Fund.