Colonel Washington, 1772

Oil on canvas. Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA.

This portrait, commissioned by George Washington and painted by Peale at Mount Vernon, is the only authenticated pre-Revolution portrait we of the man. It depicts him ten years later in the uniform he wore while commander of the 1st Virginia Regiment (1754 – 62). Sticking out of his vest pocket is a paper inscribed Order of March.

On 21-May-1772 Washington wrote to Jonathan Boucher in Annapolis, Maryland, who had recommended Peale: I am now contrary to all expectation under the hands of Mr. Peale; but in so grave — and so sullen a mood — and now and then under the influence of Morpheus when some critical strokes are making, that I fancy the skill of this gentleman’s pencil will be hard put to it, in describing to the world what manner of man I am.

Washington’s refusal to accept a salary for his services was emblematic of his somewhat ostentatious public virtue. He did open a public expense account, however, and some have claimed that he made money from it by overcharging Congress. In fact, the £150 per month that he requested for expenses was not just for him, but also for his entourage, which sometimes swelled to a crowd. His account books, which still exist, list charges for things like ferry fares, innkeepers’ fees, candlesticks, saddle repair, meat, fruit, mounds of cabbages and beets, and (admittedly) oceans of grog, liquor, and wine. Washington even charged Congress for fifteen shillings Cash paid a beggar by the General’s order. But although he was not averse to placing his headquarters in the occasional mansion, he otherwise made do with precious few luxuries.

— Edward G. Lengel

General George Washington: A Military Life (2005)