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John James Barralet, "The Apotheosis of Washington" (1802-1816)
[See a larger version of the image
as an engraved print for more details].
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Unknown, "The Apotheosis of Washington
and Lincoln" (1865)
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Introduction
The first president of the United States, George Washington, was born on February
22, 1732 and died on December 14, 1799.
The third Monday of February is designated "Presidents
Day" in
the United States. It was first proclaimed quite late in the history of the
republic (1880) and therefore was not part of the evolution of the office of
the presidency in its first hundred years. In fact, the founding fathers would
probably have been horrified at the thought of paying hommage in this way to
a single man or even the office of the presidency when more abstract notions
of "liberty" and
the
"rule of law" were still so highly regarded. Celebrating the man
would have smacked too much of the idea of kingship which they had fought so
hard against in the 1770s and 1780s. There had been some talk of making the
highest political office in America an "elected monarchy" but even
a wealthy, slave owning, ex-general like George Washington baulked at the idea.
Thomas Paine (see this quote
of the week on Paine's idea that only "the law
was king" in America)
had to persaude some of his contemporaries in 1776 (in Common Sense)
that if they thought it a "deficiency" not to have a King in an
independent America then they might prefer to think that their "King" was
the rule of law and the "Charter" or constitution which embodied
the law. In these passages Paine worries about a newly independent America
reverting to a monarchy. Paine thought an agitator like Massanello might prey
on discontent to take over the government and declare himself king. Thomas
Jefferson, in a letter to Robert Livingston (December 1800), worried in a similar
fashion that republicanism in America was only skin deep and that there lurked
a monarchie
masquée (hidden monarchy) just below the surface. Furthermore
Paine thought, if a day of celebration were to be set aside then homage should
be paid to the law (the “Charter”), a crown set upon it to remind those gathered
that “the law is king”, and at the end of the ceremony the crown should be
smashed and scattered among the people as a reminder that the notion of kingship
is a dangerous thing in a free republic. One wonders what he or Jefferson
would think of the modern celebration of the man and the office known as "Presidents
Day".
To return to the origin of "Presidents Day" (or Washington's Birthday
as it was originally known), it was first proclaimed in 1880 as a holiday
for federal workers
only in the District of Columbia (thus
it was a holiday to enable federal government workers to have a paid day
not to work). It was extended to workers in all federal offices across the
nation in 1885. It was the first federal holiday to celebrate a single individual
(Washington) and it fell on George Washington's actual birthday February 22,
1732 (although his birthday was in fact February 11 under the old Julian calendar
- but the new Gregorian calendar had been introduced across the British Empire
in 1752 and so according to this revised calendar his new birthday was now
February 22). [See the Wikipedia entry on Washington's
Birthday <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidents_day>].
In 1951 during the early years of the Cold War a group began agitating for
Congress to establish a "Presidents Day" to honour all the presidents
as well as the office of the presidency itself, no doubt in an effort to emphasize
the role of the office of the Presidency in the American republic in contrast
to the recently defeated Il Duce of fascist Itlay and the Führer of Nazi Germany,
as well as the powerful "Secretaries" or "Chairmen" of
the communist parties of the Soviet Union and China. February
was seen as an appropriate month because both Washington and Lincoln had their
birthdays then (Lincoln on February 12) and both were regarded as crucial "fathers
of the nation" -
Washington for leading the military at the founding of the nation and Lincoln
for using the military to forcibly maintain the union of the states in the
face of seccession. Legislation in 1968 retained the name "Washington's
Birthday"
for the public holiday but in popular parlance it has become known as "Presidents
Day", which was part of a more
encompassing "Uniform
Monday Holiday Act" (1971).
Additional Reading:
The Apotheosis of George Washington
There appear to be two main periods for the creation of images of Washington
ascending into heaven as a god. The first comes immediately after his death
in 1799 and the second comes after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln (April
1865) who
is also depicted ascending into heaven as a god but is also welcomed by Washington
who has already arrived there. He welcomes him as one ex-president and
ex-military leader to another. The parallels to Christian art depicting the
assumption of Mary are of course striking. Here is Titian's painting of the
"Assumption and Consecration of the Virgin" (1516) for
purposes of comparison:
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Titian, "The Assumption and Consecration
of the Virgin" (1516-18)
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[Source: Wikipedia and a variety of non-copyright web sites.]
David Edwin, "Apotheosis of Washington" (1800)
The engraving below by David Edwin is called "Apotheosis of Washington" (1800)
and shows Washington, dressed in his burial shroud and clothes, sitting on
clouds above Mount Vernon. An angel (or Cupid) is laying a laurel wreath on
his head in an effort to bestow immortality upon him. To the right two men
are standing suspended in the clouds gesturing to Washington perhaps in welcome
to heaven. They are Richard Montgomery and Joseph Warren who were both major
generals in the Continental Army during the Revolution and who were killed
in battle in 1775.
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David Edwin, "Apotheosis of Washington" (1800)
[See a larger version of
the image for more details].
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[Source: the C.W.
McAlpin Collection at the New York Public Library <http://legacy.www.nypl.org/research/chss/spe/art/print/exhibits/revolution/selection7.html>
and the National
Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution].
John James Barralet, "The Apotheosis of Washington" or "The
Commemoration of Washington" (1802-1816)
An
image which first appeared in 1802 and was reproduced in many forms (including
prints and painted glass) has the title "The
Apotheosis of Washington" or "The
Commemoration of Washington" (as it first appeared in February 1802 when
Washington would have turned 70). It shows George Washington
ascending into heaven assisted by Father Time and an angel (or "Immortality").
Shafts of light shine down from heaven through a break in the clouds as the
angel and Father Time lift Washington, wrapped in a red piece of cloth or perhaps
his burial shroud, from what appears to be his coffin or crypt. To the left
three women (Faith, Hope, and Charity) can be seen: one holds her
hand out towards him grieving; another holds two children in
her arms; and a third is slumped forward
on her arms weeping. Beneath Washington can be seen an American eagle, the
American shield on which is written "e pluribus unum" and Liberty,
whose head is bowed in sorrow. Her staff with the red phrygian cap is resting
among Washington's discarded armour and sword which lie beside a facses. In
the far right bottom corner we can see a American Indian with his hatchet and
arrows sitting with his head resting on his knees. On the tomb is written the
words "Sacred
is the Memory of Washington OB 11 Dec. - D 1799. Et. 68".
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John James Barralet, "The Apotheosis of Washington" or "The
Commemoration of Washington" (1802-1816)
[See a larger version of
the image as an engraved print for more details].
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[Sources: photograph of a painting on glass held by the Library of Congress;
engraving and etching held by the New
York Public Library <http://legacy.www.nypl.org/research/chss/spe/art/print/exhibits/revolution/selection7.html>].
Unknown, "The Apotheosis of Washington and Lincoln" (1865)
The next example was a popular postcard which was produced in considerable
numbers after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. It depicts
Lincoln
ascending into heaven. He is dressed in black robes as is George Washington
who is embracing him in welcome and is about to place a laurel wreath upon
Lincoln's head. Angels are beckoning him to ascend towards the light which
streams from the top left of tthe image.
[Sources: a variety of non-copyright web sites and the Library of Congress].
Constantino Brumidi, "The Apotheosis of George Washington" (1865),
Capitol Building, Washington, D.C.
During the year after the assassination of Lincoln a monumental
work was undertaken by Constantino Brumidi (1805-1880) to depict the apotheosis
of George Washington on the ceiling of the recently completed new dome of the
Capitol Building in Washington D.C. It is strange to think that expensive construction
such as the dome was being undertaken during the Civil War. Brumidi had emigrated
from Italy following the 1848 revolution and took American citizenship. In
Italy he had done work for the Vatican and while
living in New York he made a name for himself doing religious paintings such
as the Crucifixion
of Christ, the Martyrdom of St. Stephen, and the Assumption of Mary. The fresco
he did for the rotunda of the Capitol dome covers an area of some 4,664 square
feet and includes a large central piece showing the apotheosis of George Washington
surrounded by six allegorical pieces showing aspects of American life and culture
- "War," "Science," "Marine," "Commerce," "Mechanics," and "Agriculture".
The following is a description of this work:
Washington has become godlike (if not a god) and has ascended into heaven.
He sits on a cloud wearing a military jacket in purple (the traditional colour
worn by the Roman emperor) and his legs are wrapped in a sheet (also purple).
In his left hand he holds a sword and his right hand is gesturing to a book
(possibly the constitution of the US). At his left sits Victory draped in
a green sheet and wearing a laurel wreath, holding a branch and blowing
a turmpet. To Washington's right sits Liberty. She is wearing a red phrygian
cap and holds the book to which Washington is gesturing in her left hand;
in her right hand she is holding the Roman fasces. [See the detail below].
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Constantino Brumidi, "The Apotheosis of George
Washington" (1865)
Capitol Building, Washington, D.C.
[See a larger
version of this image]
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Surrounding Washington, Victory, and Liberty in a circle are 13 maidens who
represent the original 13 colonies which formed the federation of the United
States. Some of them are holding a banner which says "E Puribus Unum" but
others have their backs turned towards Washington to indicate those states
which attempted to break away from the union during the Civil War. Around the
perimeter of the fresco are 6 large pieces which show in allegorical form various
aspects of American life and culture. Immediately under Washington, the commander-in-chief
of the victorious Continental Army which defeated the British Empire is of
course
"War", followed in clockwise order by "Science," "Marine," "Commerce," "Mechanics," and "Agriculture." Below
is a detail of the allegory of "War":
"Liberty" (or "Columbia") is seen in the more aggressive pose of a warrior
brandishing a sword in her right hand and carrying a a shield with the stars
and stripes in her left hand. At her left side is an equally aggressive American
eagle with mouth open and talons clutching a sheaf of arrows. Beneath them
are their defeated enemies who are hard to identify but are most likely an
assortment of tyrants, kings, and oppressors who are very fearful of Liberty
and her eagle. The woman at the left has her hands outstretched in a pose
of submission; the white bearded man next to her is clutching a cannon; the
dark bearded man in the center is attired in a uniform of boots, breastplate
armor, and helmet, and appears to have a club or weapon in his left hand;
the person next to him is wearing a brown cloak and is holding a burning
torch in his or her right and left hands; the final figure to the right is
holding their hand to their face in a look of bewilderment at the power of
Liberty.
[Sources: Wikipedia article on "The
Apotheoisis of Washington" <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Apotheosis_of_Washington>
and The Architect of the Capitol website <http://www.aoc.gov/index.cfm>].
Among the many striking things about Brumidi's fresco are the following: the
monumental physical scale of the painting, the fact that it was given such
prominence in the expanded and rebuilt US Capitol Building, that it was completed
at considerable cost during wartime, the clear religious iconography used by
Brumidi as he had done previously in explicitly religious paintings in Italy
and in New York, the fact that this was not the first occasion when artists
depicted the assumption to heaven of Washington and suggested he had god-like
powers (the first was immediately after Washington's death in 1799), and the
links made between the military leader Washington who defeated the British
to "forge" a nation" and the acts of Lincoln in using military
force to "preserve
the union".
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Images of Liberty 
