Mezzotint, Martha Washington and George Washington

Portraits of George and Martha Washington

This rare mezzotint is attributed to Major Joseph Hiller, Sr., a Massachusetts engraver and silversmith. It was produced around 1777 and is believed to be based on portraits of George and Martha by Charles Willson Peale that were painted in 1776 for John Hancock. Peale’s original portrait of Martha has been lost, but this engraving from it might provide an idea of what Martha looked like during the Revolution (image courtesy of the New York Public Library, C.W. McAlpin Collection).

Joseph Hiller, Sr., after Charles Willson Peale

New York Public Library, C.W. McAlpin Collection

1777

mezzotint

eng

Hiller, Joseph, Sr., after Charles Willson Peale. Mezzotint, c. 1777. New York Public Library, C.W. McAlpin Collection.

mezzotint