Art as Political Expression in the American Revolution

Dr. Lynn Price Robbins and Isaac S. Loftus are joined by historian Dr. Zara Anishanslin to uncover the overlooked world of non-elite painters—women, nonwhite men, and others who used their brushes to make bold political statements. While elite artists shaped the iconic images of the Revolution that we know today, these lesser-known figures painted a different picture—one that’s only now coming into view. Please support this podcast by checking out our patreon: www.patreon.com/primarysourcemedia CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Introductions 2:05 - Unveiling Forgotten Artists of the Revolution 3:36 - Political Art: The Role of Art in the Revolution 9:50 - Espionage and Art: The Quirky Contributions of Artists 16:18 - Understanding Art: Reading Between the Lines in History 19:16 - Understanding the Iconography in Art today 22:08 - Piecing Together the History of Lost Paintings 26:13 - The Evolution of Radical Artists Post-Revolution 30:37 - Transatlantic Perspectives on the American Revolution 33:40 - The Declaration of Independence: Glorification vs Reality 38:56 - Art and Myth-Making in Revolutionary America 43:44 - Exploring the Lives of Three Key Artists 52:19 - Dr. Anishanslin’s favorite painting, her new book and where to find her EPISODE LINKS: Dr. Zara Anishanslin - https://drzara.org/ The Painter's Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution - https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674290235 Pre-order your copy- https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-painters-fire-zara-anishanslin/1146558188?ean=9780674290235 Thing4Things: The History Podcast Where Things Happen and Stuff Matters- https://www.thing4thingspodcast.com/ BlueSky - @drzara Instagram - @thing4things and @thing4thingspodcast Charles Willson Peale - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Willson-Peale John Trumbull - https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Trumbull-American-painter Ai WeiWei - https://www.aiweiwei.com/ Banksy - https://www.banksy.co.uk/ Patience Wright - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Patience-Wright Robert Edge Pine - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Edge-Pine Joseph Wright - https://www.pafa.org/museum/collection/item/wright-family Lord Dunmore - https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/dunmore-john-murray-fourth-earl-of-ca-1730-1809/ Patience Wright’s sculpture of William Pitt - https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/william-pitt-and-family Obama’s presidential portrait - https://npg.si.edu/learn/classroom-resource/barack-obama King Charles’ official portrait - https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68981200 Michelle Obama’s portrait - https://npg.si.edu/learn/classroom-resource/michelle-obama George Washington’s Lansdowne portrait - https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.2001.13 Prince Demah - https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/essays/painting-independence-boston-prince-demah Apotheosis of Washington - https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/apotheosis-washington John Trumbull’s Declaration painting - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Declaration_of_Independence_(1819),_by_John_Trumbull.jpg Robert Edge Pine’s Declaration painting - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Congress_voting_independence.jpg John Trumbull painting with William Lee - https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/12822 Henry Laurens - https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Revolution John Wollaston - https://www.nga.gov/artists/1981-john-wollaston Prince Demah’s portrait of Christian Barnes - https://outofthearchives.org/2015/01/10/prince-demah-portrait-painter/ Robert Edge Pine’s portrait of Patience Wright - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_Edge_Pine_-_Patience_Lovell_Wright_-_NPG.86.168_-_National_Portrait_Gallery.jpg PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: 2c4hpod.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2-complicated-4-history/id1664183536 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3svQpZfxhVQnYJMESpp842?si=514780ada34d4aab To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices