Battle of Gettysburg: Pickett's Charge
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| Battle of Gettysburg: Pickett's Charge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Peter F. Rothermel |
| Year | 1870 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 490 cm × 980 cm (192 in × 384 in) |
| Location | State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
Battle of Gettysburg: Pickett's Charge is an oil-on-canvas painting by the American painter Peter F. Rothermel from 1870. The painting depicts Pickett's Charge, the climactic moment of the Battle of Gettysburg in which Confederate general George Pickett led a frontal assault on entrenched Union forces with disastrous results. Depicting what is considered the high-water mark of the Confederacy, the painting was commissioned by Pennsylvania governor Andrew Gregg Curtin and is currently on display in the State Museum of Pennsylvania.
In his annual message to the Pennsylvania legislature in January 1866, governor Andrew Curtin proposed commissioning a painting of the Battle of Gettysburg for display in the city library of Harrisburg.[1][2] Later that year, a legislative committee selected Peter Rothermel for the project, contracting him to produce five panels depicting key moments from the battle.[3] Rothermel spent multiple years researching the subject, interviewing veterans, and making repeated visits to Gettysburg to survey the terrain before beginning the work.[4][5] The largest of the panels, Battle of Gettysburg: Pickett's Charge displays the climax of the battle, and measures 16 feet tall by 32 feet wide. This single painting required over a year and a half to complete, during which Rothermel arranged for multiple figures from the war sit for their likenesses, including General George Meade.[1][6]
Upon completion, the painting was deemed too large for installation in the state library. It was first on exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, then relocated to a purpose-built hall at Tenth and Chestnut streets.[1][2] It subsequently toured the country visiting Boston, Chicago, and Pittsburgh, before moving back to Philadelphia for display in Memorial Hall during the 1876 Centennial Exposition.[2] Finally, upon completion of the new library and State Department buildings in 1894, it was moved to back to the state capitol.[7] Originally displayed in the state library, it was moved in 1964 to the Civil War wing of the State Museum of Pennsylvania.[8]
The painting remains the largest single-panel painting by an American artist in the 19th century.[9]