Washington at Valley Forge

American 19th Century

National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a wintry landscape from a slightly elevated point of view. Rolling hills extend in the background, with small houses, snowy tress, and distant mountains visible. Closer to us, people are gathered outside of a yellow cabin. Several of them appear to be soldiers wearing blue uniforms and tricorn hats, holding tall guns. One person on horseback holds an American flag. In the center, a man sits on a white horse, wearing a blue-and-gold uniform under a cloak. Two small fires create billows of gray smoke. More people on horseback make their way across a path through the snowy hills. The brushstrokes are smooth and detailed, and the color palette includes blues, grays, whites, browns, and greens.