The Passage of the Delaware
The Passage of the Delaware is a large, Neoclassical 1819 oil-on-canvas painting by Thomas Sully. With attention to historical accuracy, the painting depicts George Washington on horseback observing the troops of the American Revolutionary Army in the process of crossing the Delaware River prior to the surprise attacks on Hessian troops on December 26, 1776 at the Battle of Trenton. The image is intended to capture the moment prior to George Washington dismounting his horse and joining his army in crossing the Delaware River.

The painting was initially commissioned to be displayed in the North Carolina Capitol but with dimensions of 146.5″ (372.1 cm) high and 207″ (525.7 cm) wide, the work was too large to be displayed in the building so the contract was mutually terminated. "The Passage of the Delaware" was eventually displayed in the Boston Museum. The museum closed in 1903, and the painting was gifted to the Museum of Fine Arts. It is exhibited in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

"The Passage of the Delaware" was a forerunner of Emanuel Leutze's 1851 painting, "Washington Crossing the Delaware".
Q14378
Neoclassical
Concept
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oil-on-canvas
Concept
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Thomas Sully
PER
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George Washington
PER
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American Revolutionary Army
Concept
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Delaware River
LOC
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Hessian troops
PER
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Battle of Trenton
EVE
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North Carolina Capitol
LOC
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Boston Museum
LOC
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Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
LOC
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Emanuel Leutze
PER
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Washington Crossing the Delaware
MEDIA
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The Passage of the Delaware
MEDIA
Q20776279
The Passage of the Delaware
MEDIA
Q20776279
The Passage of the Delaware
MEDIA
1819-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1819
DATE
1776-12-26T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
December 26, 1776
DATE
1903-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1903
DATE
1851-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1851
DATE
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372.1
NUMBER
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525.7
NUMBER
creator
inception
depicts
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collection
military branch
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creator
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