Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Clemens, Johan Frederik (1748-1831) Death of General Montgomery

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC06580 Author/Creator: Clemens, Johan Frederik (1748-1831) Place Written: London, England Type: Print Date: February 1798 Pagination: 1 engraving : b&w ; 59.5 x 81 cm. Order a Copy

Engraved by Danish engraver J.F. Clemens, based on a painting by John Trumbull completed in 1786. Published by A.C. de Poggi at 91 New Bond Street, London. Depicts the death of General Richard Montgomery during the assault on Quebec on 31 December 1775. Montgomery showed real promise as an officer when he took command of General Philip Schuyler's army after Schuyler was evacuated because of illness. He led troops that captured St. John and Montreal and afterward he converged on Quebec with General Benedict Arnold and met his fate. Aaron Burr is depicted holding Montgomery. Burr tried to remove Montgomery's body from the field, but was unsuccessful. Trumbull's work gives a nod to Benjamin West's painting on the death of General Wolfe during the assault on Quebec during the French and Indian War. Trumbull painted the original in West's London studio. The print is in fine condition with very slight damage to the edges. The picture is pristine.

Montgomery, Richard, 1738-1775

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