| Portrayals of General Wolfe and of his death at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759 were in great demand after the Conquest. This engraving, by American artist Alonzo Chappel (1828-1887), shows there was still a market for Death-of-Wolfe scenes in the mid-nineteenth century, even in the United States. Chappel's work portrays the General's mortal wounding. In fact, Wolfe was wounded three times, once before the battle in the wrist and then in the groin. When he gave the order to open fire and charge, he was fatally shot in the chest. In this work, set in the confusion of battle, the viewer must look closely before discovering the central figure. Engraving
C-041477 |