The Death of General Wolfe

Summary

Battle field. In the foreground a casualty is attended to; a musket and belt lie by his side. A native american male figure kneels in the foreground to the left. A male figure to the right puts his hands together in prayer. Benjamin West applied the canon of history painting rules to this relatively contemporary event, the death of General Wolfe, in his painting exhibited in 1771. He had put modern dress on his figures and included native Americans for authenticity. He showed national interests could live happily alongside the ideals of classical composition. Published by John Boydell (1720-1784) in 1776 - his profits from this successful print came to £15,000.