Exselenc Georg General Waschingdon and Ledy Waschingdon

Dateca. 1780

Attributed to The Sussel-Washington Artist (active ca. 1760-1779)

MediumWatercolor and ink on laid paper

DimensionsOther (Primary Support): 8 x 6 1/2in. (20.3 x 16.5cm) Framed: 10 3/4 x 9 1/8 x 3/4in. (27.3 x 23.2 x 1.9cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1958.305.18

DescriptionFull-length figures of a man and a woman face the viewer and nearly fill the available space. The woman's skirt and the man's proper left hand overlap the decorative dotted border that surrounds the whole. The woman wears a yellow dress and red and blue trim and an elaborate headdress. She holds a flower in her proper right hand, while her proper left hand is raised behind her companion's back. He wears buff, knee-length breeches, blue striped stockings, a blue coat with red facings, and a black tricorn hat decorated with red and yellow half circles. Both his hands are raised to the sides and he bears a flower in each hand. Short lines of upright script appear at upper left and lower right.
The 1 5/8-inch molded and unpainted pine frame is probably a modern replacement.
Label TextThe modern pseudonym Sussel-Washington Artist derives from Arthur J. Sussel, an early Fraktur collector in Philadelphia and the former owner of the piece. The name has since been associated with a group of several dozen drawings characterized by the artist's stiff, frontal poses and heavy outlining. The use of cross-hatching and stippling suggests a familiarity with engraving techniques. Standing human figures similar to the couple shown here dominate much of the decorator's work.
InscribedThe inscriptions are in ink in upright script; that in the upper left corner reads "Ledy/Waschingdon"; that in the lower right corner reads "Exselenc/Georg /General/Waschingdon".
ProvenanceFound in Ohio; Arthur J. Sussel (1889-1958), Philadelphia, Pa.; sold Oct. 23-25, 1958, at Parke-Bernet Galleries, whence purchased by The Old Print Shop, New York on behalf of CWF.