"Washington Crossing the Delaware"
painted by Emmanuel Leutz in 1851
Lesson Designed by Grant R. Miller
Emmanuel Leutz's famous painting, "Washington Crossing the Delaware" depicts General Washington standing in the middle of a boat. He is surrounded by soldiers who are rowing the boat across a river littered with large chunks of ice.http://cgfa.acropolisinc.com/l/p-leutze2.htm
DIRECTIONS
1. Analyze the Painting
First, describe what is happening in this painting. (You can enter your answer in the bottom right-hand corner of this page.)
2. Your Task
For this exercise, you will analyze different sources to determine this painting's importance. At the end of this exercise, you will answer two central questions:
a. Why is the painting considered an American icon ?
b. Does the painting tell us more about an event or the artist who painted it?
3. Hear What the Coaches Think
Click on the coaches below to hear their thoughts about how these two questions will help you analyze the sources on the following pages.