Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
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Object Details
- Artist
- Henry Benbridge, 20 Oct 1743 - 25 Jan 1812
- Sitter
- Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, 25 Feb 1746 - 25 Aug 1825
- Exhibition Label
- Script # E142-08 wall label AU: GDS WC:144
- Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
- 1746–1825
- Born Charles Town (now Charleston), South Carolina
- Charles Cotesworth Pinckney was a leading South Carolina lawyer, military figure, and statesman, whose wealth stemmed from the labor of those he enslaved on his rice plantations. Educated in England, he was an active participant in the colonial government and served in the royal militia before siding with the rebels and becoming a captain in the Continental Army.
- Around 1773, Henry Benbridge portrayed Pinckney in a red British uniform coat. Pinckney later asked the artist to repaint the garment’s color to represent his new allegiance. Traces of red remain visible along the edges of the sitter’s left sleeve.
- After the Revolution, Pinckney served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. When Northern delegates argued that the Constitution should ban the import of African people, he proposed the compromise that allowed it to continue for another twenty years, until 1808.
- Henry Benbridge (1743–1812)
- Oil on canvas, c. 1773
- Framed conserved with funds from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee
- NPG.67.1
- Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
- 1746–1825
- Nacido en Charles Town (hoy Charleston), Carolina del Sur
- Charles Cotesworth Pinckney era un prominente abogado, militar y estadista de Carolina del Sur cuya riqueza provenía del trabajo de personas esclavizadas en sus plantaciones de arroz. Educado en Inglaterra, participó activamente en el gobierno colonial y sirvió en la milicia real antes de aliarse a los rebeldes y ser capitán en el Ejército Continental.
- Hacia 1773, Henry Benbridge lo retrató con la casaca roja del uniforme británico. Luego Pinckney pidió al artista que repintara la ropa para reflejar su nueva filiación. En los bordes de la manga izquierda aún pueden verse rastros del rojo.
- Tras la Revolución, Pinckney fue delegado a la Convención Constitucional de 1787. Cuando los delegados del norte alegaron que la Constitución debía prohibir la importación de personas africanas, Pinckney propuso un término medio que permitió continuar la práctica 20 años más, hasta 1808.
- Henry Benbridge (1743–1812)
- Óleo sobre lienzo, c. 1773
- Marco conservado con fondos del Smithsonian Women’s Committee
- NPG.67.1
- Provenance
- (Kennedy Galleries, New York); purchased 1967 NPG.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; frame conserved with funds from the Smithsonian Women's Committee
- c. 1773
- Object number
- NPG.67.1
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Stretcher: 76.7 x 64 x 3.8cm (30 3/16 x 25 3/16 x 1 1/2")
- Frame: 92.7 x 79.4 x 6.7cm (36 1/2 x 31 1/4 x 2 5/8")
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Exhibition
- Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900
- On View
- NPG, East Gallery 142
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Costume\Headgear\Military
- Exterior\Forest
- Charles Cotesworth Pinckney: Male
- Charles Cotesworth Pinckney: Law and Crime\Lawyer
- Charles Cotesworth Pinckney: Politics and Government\Presidential candidate
- Charles Cotesworth Pinckney: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Revolutionary War
- Charles Cotesworth Pinckney: Politics and Government\Diplomat
- Charles Cotesworth Pinckney: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\General
- Charles Cotesworth Pinckney: Politics and Government\Diplomat\Minister
- Charles Cotesworth Pinckney: Politics and Government\US Congressman\South Carolina
- Charles Cotesworth Pinckney: Politics and Government\Governor\South Carolina
- Charles Cotesworth Pinckney: Politics and Government\Statesman\Signer of Constitution
- Charles Cotesworth Pinckney: Politics and Government\State Senator\South Carolina
- Charles Cotesworth Pinckney: Military and Intelligence\Prisoner of War
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.67.1
- Metadata Usage (text)
- CC0
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4aee895d3-c180-49f6-a193-8cc65d562924
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