Friday, October 12, 2018

1775 Revolution Rising - Ralph Earl's Propaganda Drawings

Ralph Earl (American artist, 1751-1801) Plate I The battle of Lexington, April 19th. 1775. The Doolittle engravings of the battles of Lexington & Concord in 1775. Amos Doolittle (engraver) & Ralph Earl

Massachusetts-born painter Ralph Earl (1751-1801) was known primarily for his portraits. By 1774, he was working in New Haven, Connecticut, as a portrait painter. In 1775, Earl visited Lexington & Concord, which were the sites of recent battles between the colonists & the British. Working in collaboration with the engraver Amos Doolittle, Earl drew 4 battle scenes that were used as pro-Revolutionary propaganda prints.  As it turned out, although his father was a colonel in the Revolutionary army, Earl himself was apparently a Loyalist.  In 1778, he  escaped to England by disguising himself as the servant of British army captain John Money.  These prints are at the New York City Public Library.
Ralph Earl (American artist, 1751-1801) Plate II A view of the town of Concord The Doolittle engravings of the battles of Lexington & Concord in 1775. Amos Doolittle (engraver) & Ralph Earl

Ralph Earl (American artist, 1751-1801) Plate III The engagement at the North Bridge in Concord The Doolittle engravings of the battles of Lexington & Concord in 1775. Amos Doolittle (engraver) & Ralph Earl

Ralph Earl (American artist, 1751-1801) Plate IV A view of the south part of Lexington The Doolittle engravings of the battles of Lexington & Concord in 1775. Amos Doolittle (engraver) & Ralph Earl