Benjamin West was an American-born British painter who specialised in history painting, creating such works as The Death of Nelson, The Death of General Wolfe, the Treaty of Paris, and Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky.
Paintings by Benjamin West
Treaty of Paris (painting) (1783)
American Commissioners of the Preliminary Peace Agreement with Great Britain, also known as the Treaty of Paris, is an unfinished 1783 painting by Benjamin West depicting the United States delegation that negotiated the 1783 Treaty of Paris, which formally ended the American Revolutionary War. Peace negotiations began in Paris on June 25, 1783, and the eventual signing of the treaty took place on September 3, 1783 at the Hotel York at 56 rue Jacob. The green drapery in the painting's background and the distant landscape with a classical colonnaded building emphasize the scene's formality.
John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin (presented from left to right) are depicted early during the negotiation process (Laurens and the younger Franklin were not present at the treaty's signing). Benjamin Franklin was the only U.S. delegate who did not pose in person; West drew his likeness from an engraving.
The Death of Nelson (West painting) (1806)
The Death of Nelson is a painting by the American artist Benjamin West dated 1806.
In 1770, West painted The Death of General Wolfe. This was not an accurate representation of the event, but rather an idealisation, and it included people who were not present at the event. Nevertheless, it became very popular, and West painted at least five copies.
General Johnson Saving a Wounded French Officer from the Tomahawk of a North American Indian (1764)
General Johnson Saving a Wounded French Officer from the Tomahawk of a North American Indian is an oil painting on canvas by the British-American artist Benjamin West, completed between 1764 and 1768. It depicts a scene during the French and Indian War, and was painted a few years after the event depicted in the painting, and is now in the collection of Derby Museum and Art Gallery.
The painting is important as it is a contemporary view showing all three major groups involved during the French and Indian War (which could be called more comprehensively "the British, French and Indian War"). It depicts Irish soldier Sir William Johnson preventing an indigenous auxiliary from taking the scalp of Baron Dieskau, a wounded and defeated French soldier lying on the ground.
The Death of General Wolfe (1770)
The Death of General Wolfe is a 1770 painting by Anglo-American artist Benjamin West, commemorating the 1759 Battle of Quebec, where General James Wolfe died at the moment of victory. The painting, containing vivid suggestions of martyrdom, broke a standard rule of historical portraiture by featuring individuals who had not been present at the scene and dressed in modern, instead of classical, costumes. The painting has become one of the best-known images in 18th-century art.
The Death of General Wolfe depicts the Battle of Quebec, also known as the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, on September 13, 1759. This was a pivotal event in the Seven Years' War and decided the fate of France's colonies in North America.
Colonel Guy Johnson and Karonghyontye (Captain David Hill) (1776)
Colonel Guy Johnson and Karonghyontye (Captain David Hill) is a 1776 dual portrait by the American painter Benjamin West, who specialised in historical painting and portraits. West was a co-founder of the Royal Academy in London, serving its president from 1792 to 1805 and again from 1806 to 1820.
The portrait depicts British Indian Department officer Guy Johnson and Mohawk chief David Hill. Johnson was the superintendent of the northern colonies of British North America and commissioned the portrait in 1776 while in London to secure that appointment. Sailing from Canada, Johnson was accompanied by Hill, who was a close friend. The alliance between Britain and several Indian tribes seriously threatened the rebel colonists' chances of victory during the American Revolutionary War.
Portrait of Queen Charlotte (West) (1779)
Portrait of Queen Charlotte is a 1779 portrait painting by the Anglo-American artist Benjamin West. It depicts the German-born British Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of Britain. It was part of pair of portraits commissioned by the royal family featuring Charlotte and her husband George III. Behind the queen are thirteen of her children (two more would be born after the painting) including the Prince of Wales and Duke of York on the left in Windsor uniform and the Duke of Clarence on the right in the uniform of a midshipman in the Royal Navy. In the background is the south front of Windsor Castle with Queen's Lodge which was later demolished during the Regency era. The painting was displayed at the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1780, the first to take place at Somerset House. It remains part of the Royal Collection and hangs in the East Gallery of Buckingham Palace.
Portrait of Dr Richard Price (1784)
The Portrait of Dr Richard Price, is an oil on canvas by the American painter Benjamin West from 1784.
The picture was sold at Christie's on 23 November 2004 and purchased by the Friends of the National Library of Wales.
Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky (1816)
Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky is a c. 1805 painting by Benjamin West in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It depicts American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin conducting his kite experiment in 1752 to ascertain the electrical nature of lighting. West composed his 13.25 in × 10 in (33.7 cm × 25.4 cm) work using oil on a slate. The painting blends elements of both Neoclassicism and Romanticism. Franklin knew West, which influenced the creation of this painting.
West based his painting on a well-known experiment Franklin conducted in 1752. Franklin observed that lightning frequently destroyed homes by igniting those made of wood. Franklin was determined to prove the presence of electricity in lightning through an experiment. Franklin's experiment, in its initial conception, depended on the completion of Christ Church in Philadelphia, whose steeples would be sufficiently high as to attract a lightning strike. Franklin then conceived of an alternative experiment that involved flying a kite during a thunderstorm with a metal key attached to the string.
The Institution of the Order of the Garter (1787)
The Institution of the Order of the Garter is a history painting of 1787 by the American-British artist Benjamin West. It was part of a series featuring scenes from the reign of Edward III during the fourteenth century, produced by West for George III. It depicts the founding ceremony of the Order of the Garter, created as England's premier order of chivalry, in 1348 at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. The King, his son and heir Edward the Black Prince and the other knights of the order kneel by an altar where a bishop blesses the statutes. Queen Philippa kneels at the left with her ladies-in-waiting behind her and a large crowd of spectators. At George III's request a self-portrait of West was added to the painting on the far left, with the face possibly executed by his pupil Gilbert Stuart. West received 1,300 guineas for the painting, which was displayed at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition of 1792 at Somerset House. The painting remains in the Royal Collection; as of 2025 it is on loan to the Palace of Westminster.
Edward III Crossing the Somme (1788)
Edward III Crossing the Somme is an oil on canvas history painting by the Anglo-American artist Benjamin West, from 1788.
It was one of a series of eight paintings by West depicting the life of the medieval King of England Edward III commissioned by George III to decorate the audience room at Windsor Castle.
Penn's Treaty with the Indians (1771)
The Treaty of Penn with the Indians, sometimes known as Penn's Treaty with the Indians at Shackamaxon or more simply Penn's Treaty with the Indians, is an oil painting by Benjamin West, completed in 1771–72. The painting depicts William Penn entering into the Treaty of Shackamaxon in 1683 with Tamanend, a chief of the Lenape ("Delaware Indians") Turtle Clan, under the shade of an elm tree near the village of Shackamaxon (now Kensington) in Pennsylvania.
The peace between the Lenape Turtle Clan and Penn's successors would endure for over 70 years, until the Penn's Creek Massacre of 1755.
Portrait of George III (West) (1779)
Portrait of George III is a 1779 portrait painting by the Anglo-American artist Benjamin West. It depicts George III the reigning monarch of Great Britain. Produced during the American War of Independence, it shows the king during the response to the Franco-Spanish Armada of 1779 when a combined fleet threatened Britain with invasion indicated by the military encampment and ships in the background. It was designed for the audience chamber at Hampton Court.
The king wears military uniform and holds a document outlining troops deployments. The two mounted officers in the background are Lord Amherst and the Marquess of Lothian. As Commander-in-Chief Amherst was responsible for overseeing defensive preparations to resist any French landing, summoning the militia of several counties and using the 15th Light Dragoons to patrol the coasts of Kent and Sussex, a detachment of whom can be seen in the background. Out to sea is the British fleet with HMS Royal George firing a salute.