General Marion in his Swamp Encampment Inviting a British Officer to Dinner
In 1838, New York City businessmen and society leaders conceived of an institution to champion living American artists. Incorporated in 1840 as the Apollo Association for the Promotion of the Fine Arts, the group held exhibitions and developed a subscriber base. For five dollars a year, members were given unlimited access to exhibitions, received one large engraving of a recent painting, and were entered in a lottery of original art works. In 1840, John Blake White's Revolutionary War subject, "General Marion in his Swamp Encampment" (undated; U.S. Senate), was chosen for reproduction. We see the American general Francis Marion, known as the "Swamp Fox," offering a humble dinner of sweet potatoes to a captured British officer. Sartain's related engraving was distributed to 646 subscribers in 1841. In 1844, the Apollo Association would merge with, and adopt the name of, the American Art-Union.
Artwork Details
- Title: General Marion in his Swamp Encampment Inviting a British Officer to Dinner
- Engraver: John Sartain (American (born London, England) 1808–1897 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- Artist: After John B. White (American, 1781–1859)
- Publisher: Apollo Association for the Promotion of the Fine Arts (1838–51) (later American Art-Union)
- Publisher: George S. Appleton, Philadelphia
- Subject: Francis Marion (American, Berkeley County, South Carolina ca. 1732–1795 Berkeley County, South Carolina)
- Date: 1840–41
- Medium: Mezzotint, etching and stipple
- Dimensions: Image: 16 15/16 × 20 1/2 in. (43 × 52 cm)
Sheet: 19 7/16 × 22 1/16 in. (49.4 × 56 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of Rev. Augustus Batten, 1947
- Object Number: 47.10.5
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.