John Trumbull (New York, Connecticut, England, 1756-1843) Portrait of Brigadier General Ebenezer Huntington

John Trumbull (New York, Connecticut, England, 1756-1843)

Portrait of Brigadier General Ebenezer Huntington
Unsigned.
Oil on panel, 24 x 20 in., in the original gilt-gesso frame.
Condition: A few spots of minor retouch at edges, scattered tiny spots of paint loss at bottom.

Provenance: By family descent to the consignor. Huntington family tradition states that John Trumbull painted this portrait for Ebenezer. The Huntington family had close ties to the Trumbull family as Ebenezer's brother, Jedediah, married John Trumbull's sister, Faith.

Note: Ebenezer Huntington (1754-1834) was born in Norwich, Connecticut, and was educated at Yale College. In 1775 he was appointed first lieutenant in the Second Connecticut Regiment and participated in the Siege of Boston. He was promoted to captain and fought in the Battle of Long Island. Ebenezer served throughout the war attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel. After the Revolution, Huntington served in numerous other military capacities and ultimately commissioned brigadier general in the United States Army during the Quasi War with France in 1798.

Brigadier General Ebenezer Huntington is featured in John Trumbull's monumental painting Surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, and the Princeton University Art Museum preserves a nearly identical oil on canvas portrait of Huntington mounted in an identical frame.