Description
An outpouring of national mourning was triggered by George Washington’s death on December 14, 1799. This equestrian portrait by William Clarke, which refers to his military and presidential accomplishments, is among the funeral orations, remembrance poetry, songs, and visual pictures inspired by his death. Washington was also known for his mastery of the horse. Washington was the greatest horseman of his day, and the most graceful figure that could be seen on horseback, as Thomas Jefferson recalled in an 1814 letter.
