1860 - The Death of General Wolfe, 1759. The final moments of James Wolfe during the Battle of Quebec.

Description : In addition to the landscape, West also depicts a tattooed Native
American on the left side of the painting. Shown in what is now the
universal pose of contemplation, the Native American firmly situates
this as an event from the New World, making the composition all the more
exciting to a largely English audience.

But perhaps most important is the way West portrayed the painting’s
protagonist as Christ-like. West was clearly influenced by the
innumerable images of the dead Christ in Lamentation and Depositions
paintings that he would have seen during his time in Italy. This
deliberate visual association between the dying General Wolfe and the
dead Christ underscores the British officer’s admirable qualities. If
Christ was innocent, pure, and died for a worthwhile cause—that is, the
salvation of mankind—then Wolfe too was innocent, pure, and died for a
worthwhile cause; the advancement of the British position in North
America. Indeed, West transforms Wolfe from a simple war hero to a
deified martyr for the British cause.Perhaps most important is the way West portrayed the painting’s
protagonist as Christ-like. West was clearly influenced by the
innumerable images of the dead Christ in Lamentation and Depositions
paintings that he would have seen during his time in Italy. This
deliberate visual association between the dying General Wolfe and the
dead Christ underscores the British officer’s admirable qualities. If
Christ was innocent, pure, and died for a worthwhile cause—that is, the
salvation of mankind—then Wolfe too was innocent, pure, and died for a
worthwhile cause; the advancement of the British position in North
America. Indeed, West transforms Wolfe from a simple war hero to a
deified martyr for the British cause.

Published

[New York] ; [Virtue, Emmins & Co.], [1860]