Molly Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth

PeriodAfter 1856

MediumOil on copper plaque

ClassificationsLandscapes & Still Life

Credit LineGift of Mrs. J. Amory Haskell, 1941

Object number1564

DescriptionA round copper plaque decorated with a view of Molly Pitcher at a cannon during the Battle of Monmouth. The cannon point to the left. A male naked to the waist is posed at the breach, another with a hat over his head near the mouth, and Molly Pitcher to his immediate left. A dead soldier in an American uniform lies on the ground in front of the cannon. This figure presumably represents Pitcher's husband, who was shot during the battle. The figure on a white horse in the distance behind the cannon may represent George Washington. Other officers in uniform are behind him. A fife and drum duo appear to the left of Pitcher, with the American army behind them. The British army is depicted retreating to the left of the American army. Molly Pitcher's bucket is tipped over on the ground to her left, beside a soldier seated on the ground with a wounded male in his lap. Another soldier sits back to the viewer on a rock on the left hand edge of the plaque. The smoke of battle darkens the sky, especially on the right hand side of the image.
Curatorial RemarksAt the time of its acquisition, the plaque was described as being from the Tenney family of Boxford, MA, a town in Essex County north of Boston. It supposedly came from a hand tub or early fire engine made by "Huniman, an apprentice of P. Revere. Made bells, warming pans, Willard clock works." This citation may refer to William C. Hunneman (1769 - 1856) of Boston, a noted coppersmith, brass founder and entrepreneur.NotesThe tale of Molly Pitcher was pictorialized not only in easel paintings and prints, but in other media, including metal. Rendered on a sheet of copper, this example may have been the work of a sign painter or carriage maker from Boston named Huniman. The composition is based on an engraving by John Rogers, after the original oil on canvas work by Dennis Malone Carter painted about 1856. Rogers, however, made one major change in his engraving. He turned a male figure with a hat raised above his head into a second female figure in a full skirt. That detail is copied in this painting on copper.

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