Art as Political Expression in the American Revolution

Dr. Lynn Price Robbins and Isaac S. Loftus are joined by historian Dr. Zara Anishanslin to uncover the overlooked world of non-elite painters—women, nonwhite men, and others who used their brushes to make bold political statements. While elite artists shaped the iconic images of the Revolution that we know today, these lesser-known figures painted a different picture—one that’s only now coming into view.

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CHAPTERS:

0:00 - Introductions

2:05 - Unveiling Forgotten Artists of the Revolution

3:36 - Political Art: The Role of Art in the Revolution

9:50 - Espionage and Art: The Quirky Contributions of Artists

16:18 - Understanding Art: Reading Between the Lines in History

19:16 - Understanding the Iconography in Art today

22:08 - Piecing Together the History of Lost Paintings

26:13 - The Evolution of Radical Artists Post-Revolution

30:37 - Transatlantic Perspectives on the American Revolution

33:40 - The Declaration of Independence: Glorification vs Reality

38:56 - Art and Myth-Making in Revolutionary America

43:44 - Exploring the Lives of Three Key Artists

52:19 - Dr. Anishanslin’s favorite painting, her new book and where to find her

EPISODE LINKS:

Dr. Zara Anishanslin - https://drzara.org/

The Painter's Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution - https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674290235

Pre-order your copy- https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-painters-fire-zara-anishanslin/1146558188?ean=9780674290235

Thing4Things: The History Podcast Where Things Happen and Stuff Matters- https://www.thing4thingspodcast.com/

BlueSky - @drzara

Instagram - @thing4things and @thing4thingspodcast

Charles Willson Peale - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Willson-Peale

John Trumbull - https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Trumbull-American-painter

Ai WeiWei - https://www.aiweiwei.com/

Banksy - https://www.banksy.co.uk/

Patience Wright - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Patience-Wright

Robert Edge Pine - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Edge-Pine

Joseph Wright - https://www.pafa.org/museum/collection/item/wright-family

Lord Dunmore - https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/dunmore-john-murray-fourth-earl-of-ca-1730-1809/

Patience Wright’s sculpture of William Pitt - https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/william-pitt-and-family

Obama’s presidential portrait - https://npg.si.edu/learn/classroom-resource/barack-obama

King Charles’ official portrait - https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68981200

Michelle Obama’s portrait - https://npg.si.edu/learn/classroom-resource/michelle-obama

George Washington’s Lansdowne portrait - https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.2001.13

Prince Demah - https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/essays/painting-independence-boston-prince-demah

Apotheosis of Washington - https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/apotheosis-washington

John Trumbull’s Declaration painting - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Declaration_of_Independence_(1819),_by_John_Trumbull.jpg

Robert Edge Pine’s Declaration painting - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Congress_voting_independence.jpg

John Trumbull painting with William Lee - https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/12822

Henry Laurens - https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Revolution

John Wollaston - https://www.nga.gov/artists/1981-john-wollaston

Prince Demah’s portrait of Christian Barnes - https://outofthearchives.org/2015/01/10/prince-demah-portrait-painter/

Robert Edge Pine’s portrait of Patience Wright - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_Edge_Pine_-_Patience_Lovell_Wright_-_NPG.86.168_-_National_Portrait_Gallery.jpg

PODCAST INFO:

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