
FRESH STUFF DAILY
Seacoast New Hampshire
& South Coast Maine
Subscribe To Our Newsletter
|
|
| |
|
|
|
10d7
buy zoloft generic viagra canada vicodine canada pharmacy viagra get viagra prescription online canadian pharmacy no prescription cialisis generic propecia cheap levitra sales online buying viagra pharmacy viagra canadianph armacy canadian online drug stores b uy viagra online no prescription viagra from canada generic viagra canada canada pharmacy viagra Levitra 10 mg canadianpharmacy viagra sale online prescritions cialis online penicillan pills cialis on line viagra sale canada cheapest med viagra from canadian viagra with prescription propecia 5mg viagra with no prescription sialis canadian pharmacy no prescription viagra for sale in canada buy propecia
0
|
Untangling the Prince Whipple Legend
|
|
|
|
Written by J. Dennis Robinson
|
|
Page 3 of 3
An African American Revolutionary
Thanks to the unstoppable Internet, the Prince Whipple legend is now more deeply embedded in history than ever. His appearance in "Washington Crossing the Delaware" is noted in scholarly papers, on history web sites, in Wikipedia and on PBS. Often I am listed as the source of the information and often the articles note definitively that Prince Whipple is the man in the painting.
This is, after all, how history works. We study all the facts we can lay our hands on, then we take a flying leap at the truth. One historian relies on the work of another, then the next generation feeds on the work of the former. The real professionals track the story back to its roots. But most historians and journalists take the story as fact, recycle it, and move on. The Internet merely speeds up the process.
As a black abolitionist before the Civil War, William C. Nell was fighting to remind Americans, black and white, that African Americans had participated in the Revolution. We now know they also fought in the French and Indian War, even before the nation was founded. They died in great numbers in the Civil War. Nell was working in his book just when the hugely popular painting by Leutze went on display in 1851. More than 50,000 visitors paid to see the work in New York late that same year. It was sold for $10,000, an enormous sum at the time, and exhibited in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC. A lot of people think big 19th century paintings are history. They aren’t. These grand, emotional, often corny and inaccurate paintings are art first, history second. To Nell’s joy, this powerful image contained one figure of a black man – a very visible symbol of the point he was making.
Nell was wrong, it seems, on this small forgivable detail. Emmanuel Leutze was not painting Prince Whipple. Historians point out that the artist also got the details of the longboats wrong. And the flag is not precisely correct, nor is Washington’s outfit. But Leutze would probably tell you that his goals were much grander. He was tapping into the patriotic spirit of America, a nation not yet a century old when "Washington Crossing the Delaware" went on display.
I saw the painting for the first time recently. I stood shockingly close, then walked backwards to take it all in, then moved up close again. The black figure in the boat rows nearly at eye level. Everyone except Washington strains at their oars. He is steady, fixed on the upcoming shore. Nothing here is real. Washington is really America. The men in the boats are Americans. The black man represents black America, struggling just to stay alive, overshadowed but present. He is every colored patriot who fought in the Revolution. And so, in a way, he really is Prince Whipple. The man in the painting is not Prince with the forensic accuracy required to place him in your school’s history textbook. But he is Prince in a simpler purer way that every human heart can understand.
Copyright © 2006 by J. Dennis Robinson. All rights reserved. Robinson is editor and owner of SeacoastNH.com and a trustee of the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail.
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 Next > End >>
|
Please visit these SeacoastNH.com ad partners.
Portsmouth Herald
|
Portsmouth Herald Latest Headlines
|
| Portsmouth Herald News from SeacoastOnline.com |
-
UNH hockey powers past Terriers
DURHAM — The play of the University of New Hampshire men's hockey team special teams looked, well, special, Friday night against Boston University.
-
NFL's premier corner Revis mans up on Moss again
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Darrelle Revis has heard enough about his last matchup with Randy Moss. The New York Jets cornerback just wants to move on to the next one.
-
Father-son coaches creating legacy with Winnacunnet football
HAMPTON — If nothing else, Winnacunnet High School has proven that two Steve Magris are better than one when it comes to coaching football.
-
Bergeron wins it for B's in OT
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Patrice Bergeron scored with 47 seconds left in overtime, lifting the Boston Bruins to a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.
-
Emotional home finale for UNH football
DURHAM — One year ago this week, University of New Hampshire strong safety Terrence Klein intercepted two late passes to preserve a snowy 28-24 win at Maine, more proof that...
-
Carter, Magic drop Celtics
BOSTON — Vince Carter scored 26 points, Rashard Lewis had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic beat the Boston Celtics 83-78 on Friday night.
-
Portsmouth says stimulus jobs overstated by White House
PORTSMOUTH — While federal stimulus dollars flowing into the city may help both causes and the economy, at least one local project echoes concerns expressed nationwide about the accuracy of...
-
Joseph Popluhar
TAMPA, Fla. — Mr. Joseph Popluhar, 71, of Tampa, formerly of Portsmouth, N.H., beloved husband of Marjorie (Hunt) Popluhar, died Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009, in Florida.
-
Turkey Trot 5K in Portsmouth on Thanksgiving morning
PORTSMOUTH — Thanksgiving is one of the most charitable times of the year. If you're in the giving mood, why not get a little exercise, too?
-
Marshwood Middle School parents told 58 of 60 kids accepted unknown Facebook friend
ELIOT, Maine — Marshwood Middle School parents were shocked to learn from Internet expert Jayne Hitchcock Thursday evening that 58 of 60 middle school honors students accepted her as a...
-
Newington tax rate drops, but selectman chides state lawmakers
NEWINGTON — Town taxpayers will pay a lower tax rate for 2009, but the chairman of the Board of Selectmen announced the good news with some concerns for state politicians.
-
Memorial Bridge re-opens
PORTSMOUTH — The Memorial Bridge reopened ahead of schedule on Friday following a month of repairs that forced motorists to seek alternative routes between the city and Kittery, Maine.
-
Bakers bustling for Sunday's pie festival
GREENLAND — Judy Alix laughed excitedly. "Thirty made, only 470 more to go!" she exclaimed.
-
3-car crash on Woodbury Ave.
PORTSMOUTH — A three-car, chain-reaction crash snarled lunch hour traffic Friday on Woodbury Avenue and sent a Maine man to Portsmouth Regional Hospital.
-
Thumbs up to preservation, determination
Thumbs up to the heirs of Mary McIntire Davis for selling a 239-acre parcel of salt marsh and forest along the York River to the York Land Trust ,and to...
-
John R. Genthner
HAMPTON FALLS — John Richard Genthner, born Jan. 28, 1943, in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, died peacefully Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009, after a long illness. He was surrounded by...
-
Runner's Alley helps racer achieve her goals
I would like to thank Janine and the staff at Runner's Alley for their great work in this community. Their contribution, enthusiasm and encouragement are a shining example of what...
-
New Generation raises $10,000 with golf tourney
The New Generation Golf tournament was held at Breakfast Hill Golf Club. With the help of all those who supported it, we made more than $10,000.
-
Memorial is a N.H. bridge; Herald must act to save it
Sitting a couple of hundred miles up the Maine coast, there isn't anyone who knows or cares about our bridge. They've got their own big-time problems that aren't getting fixed.
-
Robert F. Pucciarelli
WELLS, Maine — Robert Francis "Bob" Pucciarelli, 83, of Wells, formerly of Medway, Mass., died early Thursday morning, Nov. 19, 2009.
|
|
|
|
|
| Saturday, November 21, 2009 |
|
|
|