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I alarmed almost every house till I got to Lexington-Paul Revere

1954
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
On the night of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere, a Boston silversmith and founding revolutionary, barely escaped capture as he rode through enemy lines across eastern Massachusetts to warn residents that British troops were coming. Revere recalled the events in a 1798 letter from which Lawrence excerpted his title. In this panel, the artist rendered the moment when the patriot paused to whisper military intelligence to the captain of the minutemen. A cloak as black as the galloping horse at the center of the frenzied scene camouflages Revere and his clandestine movements, while several figures dramatically brandish weapons.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: I alarmed almost every house till I got to Lexington-Paul Revere
  • Artist: Jacob Lawrence (American, Atlantic City, New Jersey 1917–2000 Seattle, Washington)
  • Date: 1954
  • Medium: Tempera on hardboard
  • Dimensions: 12 × 16 in. (30.5 × 40.6 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Private Collection
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2022 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art