The second, larger version of Washington Crossing the Delaware was completed in 1850 and placed on exhibition on Broadway in October 1851, forever embedding the image into American iconography. Emanuel Leutze, a German-born artist, crafted history paintings that bridged the artistic traditions of the Düsseldorf school with the patriotic fervor of his adopted home in the United States.
Early Development and Training
Born in 1816 in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Leutze moved to the United States in 1825, living in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and Philadelphia. After his father died in 1831, the young artist supported himself by painting portraits for five dollars each. In 1834, he began formal instruction with portrait painter John Rubens Smith. By 1840, successful commissions allowed him to return to Germany to attend the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. While there, he studied under Director Schadow but felt a stronger affinity for Karl Friedrich Lessing. He later traveled to Munich, Venice, and Rome to analyze the techniques of masters such as Titian and Michelangelo.
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Leutze resided in Düsseldorf for 14 years after marrying Juliane Lottner. He became a central figure for American artists traveling abroad, providing them with housing, professional introductions, and financial aid. He helped found the Malkasten art association in 1848 and later initiated the creation of the Allgemeine deutsche Kunstgenossenschaft in 1857. During this productive period, he created the first version of Washington Crossing the Delaware, which was damaged by fire before its eventual destruction in a 1942 bombing raid. His other notable works from these years include Columbus in Chains and the 1854 commission Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth.
Return to America and Final Years
Returning to the United States in 1859, Leutze established a studio in New York City, dividing his remaining time between there and Washington, D.C. In 1860, the U.S. Congress commissioned him to decorate a Capitol Building stairway, where he painted Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way. His portraiture remained significant, exemplified by his 1859 study of Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney. A member of the National Academy of Design and the Union League Club of New York, Leutze died of heat stroke in 1868 at the age of 52. He was interred at Glenwood Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
Fast facts
- Born: 1816, Schwäbisch Gmünd
- Died: 1868, Washington, D.C.
- Citizenship: United States; Kingdom of Württemberg
- Education: Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
- Burial site: Glenwood Cemetery
- Movement: Romanticism
- Notable work: Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way
- Notable work: Washington Crossing the Delaware
Questions readers ask
What happened to the first version of Washington Crossing the Delaware?
It was damaged by fire in Leutze's studio shortly after completion and was later destroyed during a 1942 Allied bombing raid in World War II.
What was Leutze's role in the American art community in Germany?
He served as a resource for visiting Americans, providing them with living and working spaces, professional introductions, and emotional or financial support.
Achievements
- Notable work: Washington Crossing the Delaware
- Notable work: Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way
- Notable work: Mrs. Schuyler Burning Her Wheat Fields on the Approach of the British
- Notable work: Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth
- Movement: Romanticism
