George Washington at Mount Vernon
Since childhood, art was a part of life for Orson Byron Lowell. His father Milton Lowell (1848-1927) was a landscape artist of New England scenery. The family moved to Chicago when Orson was eleven years old. He attended the School of the Art Institute under the tutelage of artist Oliver Dennett Grover (also in the Union League Club collection), and the well-known painter and anatomist, John H. Vanderpoel. After graduation, Lowell, like so many other artists seeking fame and fortune, took leave of Chicago and moved to New York City in 1893.
Lowell is chiefly celebrated for his illustrations on the covers of famous magazines in the first half of the twentieth century such as Life, The Saturday Evening Post, and Judge. This painting is a departure from his usual fare of satire and social commentary, as he created a lively portrait of our nation’s first President. He captured the essence of the man, illustrating at a glance his career, ancestral home, and his dignity. George Washington’s estate Mt. Vernon provides the backdrop, the Potomac River peaks out on the left, and a vibrant, autumnal landscape enlivens the scene. The painting is vivid and graphic, indicative of Lowell's illustration background.
George Washington sits regally on a chestnut-colored horse, likely a reference to his horse Nelson, known for a calm demeanor in battle. Washington befittingly wears the uniform of a general. His horse and spaniel dog seem to be in playful conversation--a sign of Lowell’s famous humor. Historically, Lowell’s representation of George Washington on horseback has roots in the antique tradition of Roman Imperial Equestrian sculpture. Lowell also followed "hoof iconography," in that the posture of the horse sometimes indicates how the rider died. When a horse raises both front legs in the air, the rider lost his life in battle. When the horse is depicted with four hooves on the ground, as in this painting, it indicates the rider perished outside of battle. And indeed, George Washington did not die in one of his famous battles; he died in his bed.
President George Washington is important for Club history. One of the oldest and longest-running member events at the Union League Club Chicago is the George Washington Birthday Celebration dinner---inaugurated in 1887.
