Washington Crossing the Delaware

Emanuel Leutze

1851 · Oil on canvas · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Washington Crossing the Delaware

Napoleon Crossing the Alps

Bonaparte Crossing the Alps

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

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About this work

Artist: Emanuel Leutze (1816–1868)
Year: 1851
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 378.5 × 647.7 cm
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Movement: American

George Washington stands in the bow of a rowing boat as his men force it through the ice of the Delaware on the night of 25 December 1776, on the way to the surprise attack at Trenton that saved the American Revolution; James Monroe holds the flag behind him and the boats of the army stretch back across the river. Leutze, a German-American, painted it in Düsseldorf in 1850 and 1851 as a lesson for European liberals, using the Rhine as his model and American art students as his crew. The first version was damaged by fire and destroyed in Bremen in 1942; this second, six and a half metres wide, was shown in New York in 1851, bought by Marshall Roberts and given to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1897. The flag, the ice and the daylight are all anachronisms, and it is the most famous painting of American history anyway.

This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

A general standing in a crowded rowing boat forcing through river ice beneath a stars-and-stripes, in blue, white and amber dawn, a very wide painting for a study, office or hallway at 24×36 in black. Navy, stone or warm grey walls suit it; pair it with Napoleon Crossing the Alps.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Exhibition poster of a American painting
Era: 19th century (1851)
Orientation: Portrait
Palette: cream & beige
Mood: grand
Rooms: hallway or entryway, study or library, home office, living room, dining room
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.

Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Exhibition poster — original, drawn in-house • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; every size also available framed • Framed option: wood frame in black or natural wood, 12 mm wide and 22 mm deep, with a plexiglass front and no mat; the print is mounted inside and the frame's outside measures the listed size • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Printed after you order at the facility nearest you, then shipped. Standard delivery is free and takes 4–9 business days from order to door in the US, UK and EU (up to 10 elsewhere); Express takes 4–6 business days. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The exhibition-poster edition sets the complete image above typography designed in-house.

Is Washington Crossing the Delaware in the public domain?

Yes. Emanuel Leutze (1816–1868) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; every size is also offered framed in black or natural wood, with plexiglass and no mat. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Washington Crossing the Delaware painted, and in what medium?

Washington Crossing the Delaware dates from 1851 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 378.5 × 647.7 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pair. For Washington Crossing the Delaware we'd choose 24×36.

About this design

A museum-exhibition poster of Emanuel Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware — Washington standing in the bow of a crowded boat forcing through the icy Delaware — shown whole and uncropped beneath gallery typography. American History Painting, styled as a blockbuster exhibition print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Every size is offered unframed or framed in black or natural wood. Part of the Madten Exhibition Posters Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in 4–9 business days.

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