Historic painting, heated debate: Why Battle of Monmouth canvas has struck a nerve

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In the summer of 1937, shortly after his family donated the painting “Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth” to the Monmouth County Historical Association, Walter B. Howe wrote a series of letters indicating satisfaction with the decision.

"We are very glad to have this painting find a home with the Monmouth County Historical Association where it surely belongs," Howe wrote.

The 1857 work depicts General George Washington astride his horse, with a sword-bearing right arm pointing skyward, amid the tumult of the 1778 Battle of Monmouth at the modern-day border of Freehold Township and Manalapan.

"The last actual owner of this painting was the Rev. Fisher Howe Booth, my first cousin who died some years ago and who, a few years before his death, expressed to me his wish that this should someday hang in a proper museum or historical society in New Jersey,” Howe wrote.

Booth considered selling the painting for display in Newark, but the Monmouth County Historical Association’s location in Freehold proved ideal as “the proper place for this painting,” Howe wrote to an official associated with the MCHA. "It is now in your hands, where it should be, for safe keeping."

Those words have renewed relevance now, as the painting has become quite a story. In May its famous companion painting “Washington Crossing the Delaware,” by the same German artist Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, sold at auction for $45 million. That begged the questions: Is the MCHA sitting on a gold mine, and how should that be handled?

The ensuing discussion has set the local-historian community ablaze with passionately voiced concerns for the painting’s future, prompting the MCHA (at the behest of media inquiries) to issue three rounds of statements on its position – and shining a light on the prickly intersection of history, art and money.

With input from an art history professor, here’s a closer look at the controversy and its potential upside – alerting Monmouth County residents of the prize that lies in their midst.

The painting "Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth"
The painting "Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth"

'Very important historically'

The original renderings of “Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth” and the slightly older “Washington Crossing the Delaware” were wall-sized panoramas, which were in vogue in the mid-19th century, according to Elizabeth Pilliod, who is Art History Program Head and assistant professor of art history at Rutgers University-Camden. Leutze, who lived in Germany but spent formative years in Philadelphia, later painted smaller replicas; the smaller version of “Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth” is what’s in the MCHA’s possession. The panorama version hangs in a library at the University of California-Berkeley.

Pilliod said Leutze was trying to make a point to his fellow Germans.

“To him, these two paintings stood for the urge of the people to create a democratic nation and to remove themselves from despotic monarchs,” she explained.

“Washington Crossing the Delaware” became “the best-known historical painting in all of American history,” Pilliod said, because of its robust exhibition history – it was displayed at the Crystal Palace in London and in the White House from 1979-2014.

In May’s auction, she said, it fetched an eye-popping $45 million “because it has an extremely glamorous history.”

For Leutze’s work that is “a gigantic anomaly,” Pilliod said. His paintings typically sell for $15,000-$25,000; only one other work topped $2 million.

For "Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth," she said, “you would have to be realistic and imagine that it would make a fair amount but not anything like $45 million. Does that mean it’s not important? In fact, it’s very important historically.”

That’s why some leading local historians have their own swords in the air over this.

A third attempt to clear the air

The MCHA is a non-profit that oversees the Freehold museum where the painting resides (currently closed for renovation) and five historic houses throughout Monmouth County. Generally speaking, it has a good reputation. But the first two statements it issued about the painting, pointing out that no sale has been initiated and referencing an effort to “deliberate the most responsible path forward,” provoked push-back from historians who want a firmer public commitment to keeping the painting in Freehold.

A lively email campaign, titled “Prevent Self-destruction of the Monmouth County Historical Assn,” has made the rounds, with Monmouth County Historical Commission executive director John Fabiano, former MCHA director/curator Joe Hammond and Middletown-based historian/author Randall Gabrielan imploring the MCHA to drop the idea, full-stop.

“Selling this painting would be the equivalent of the Vatican selling the Sistine Chapel,” Gabrielan said.

On Thursday MCHA president Linda Bricker issued a new, more detailed statement to the Asbury Park Press:

“One must keep in mind that these deliberations began as a result of recent events surrounding a different painting by Emanuel Leutze. Always deemed the highlight of our collection, the Monmouth County Historical Association’s own Leutze painting, Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth, was assessed at a higher value than was previously believed due to those events.  We unexpectedly found ourselves seeking to determine how to be the best possible stewards of our painting, in light of the new valuation.

“This is a very unique situation to MCHA.  The trustees are volunteers.  They serve as stewards of a complex historical association which maintains a museum, library and archives, four historic house museums situated in three different boroughs (three pre-Revolutionary era and one Civil War era) and a collection of over 30,000 artifacts.  One third of the Board was elected post-Covid. Trustees are required to make the most informed decision possible and thus began to gather facts in order to fully understand all of the issues related to the painting at its new valuation.

“The Board has made no decisions about the painting and taken no actions beyond those of safety and security as far as the painting and the staff are concerned.  It voted at its most recent meeting devoted to the painting to continue to gather facts in order to understand all of the issues.

“The Board is taking into account feedback received from the community, historians, elected officials, current and former staff and trustees, supporters and grantors.  It recognizes how strongly people feel about the MCHA and the history of the county.

“It has always been the intent of the Board to seek input from experts and stakeholders if research and discussion indicate some decision may need to be made in relation to the Leutze. However, at this time, no specific plan or decisions are forthcoming.”

Monmouth County Historical Association President Linda Bricker (right) with Monmouth University History Professor Melissa Ziobro at a 9/11 exhibit at the Taylor-Butler House in Middletown
Monmouth County Historical Association President Linda Bricker (right) with Monmouth University History Professor Melissa Ziobro at a 9/11 exhibit at the Taylor-Butler House in Middletown

Advice from an expert

What would Pilliod advise the MCHA?

“I would strongly urge any institution owning a work of art to consult closely with the American Association of Museum Directors’ policy on deaccessioning (the process by which a work of art is removed from a collection),” she said, “keeping in mind that the philosophy of the directors of leading museums across the country is that such an action should only produce funds used for the acquisition of another appropriate work or the direct care, conservation, or preservation of works of art already in your collection.”

How much impact should those letters Walter B. Howe wrote 85 years ago have on any decision about the painting he donated?

While not legally binding, Pilliod said, “my personal belief is the intentions of the donor should be respected as long as they are feasible and not dangerous.”

As the MCHA’s fact-gathering continues, there’s a bright side to the very public debate that’s unfolding.

“This raises an awareness of the painting,” Pilliod said. “I hope educators all around will point out its connection to ‘Washington Crossing the Delaware.’ These are monuments to the ideal of independence.”

Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: 'Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth' painting strikes a nerve