Washington Crossing the Delaware is an 1851 oil-on-canvas painting by Emanuel Leutze. It is in commemoration of Washington's crossing of the Delaware on December 25, 1776 during the American Revolutionary War. In doing so, they surprised the Hessian forces at Trenton, New Jersey in the Battle of Trenton.

Errors

The painting contains an error often discussed by historians: the flag being carried.

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This flag is the original flag of the United States (the "Stars and Stripes") of which the design did not exist at the time of Washington's crossing. The flag's design was specified in the June 14, 1777 Flag Resolution of the Second Continental Congress, and flew for the first time on September 3, 1777—well after Washington's crossing in 1776. The historically accurate flag would have been the Grand Union Flag, officially hoisted by Washington himself on January 2, 1776 at Cambridge, Massachusetts, as the standard of the Continental Army and the first national flag.

Related Topics:
Flag of the United States - June 14 - 1777 - Second Continental Congress - September 3 - Grand Union Flag - January 2 - 1776 - Cambridge, Massachusetts - Continental Army - National flag

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The painting contains minor inaccuracies as well, but these have artistic justifications. For example, the boat (of the wrong model) looks too small to carry all occupants and stay afloat, but this emphasizes the struggle of the rowing soldiers. There are phantom light sources besides the upcoming sun, as can be seen on the face of the front rower and shadows on the water, to add depth. Finally, Washington's stance, obviously intended to depict him in a heroic fashion, would have been very hard to maintain in the stormy conditions of the crossing.

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