The First Engraving, 1775

"The primary cause of the first regular engraving being performed in New Haven appears to have been the battle or action at Lexington. When the news of this affair reached New Haven, Arnold, as has been stated, started with about forty volunteers. Among this number were Mr. Amos Doolittle, and a Mr. Earl, a portrait painter. These young men were, no doubt, powerfully excited by what they saw and heard at the scene of action, and on their return to New Haven endeavored to show to their excited countrymen pictorially the opening scenes of the great contest which had now fully begun."

Portrait of Roger Sherman, by Ralph Earl

"As a preeminent portraitist of the early republic, Earl provides some of the most memorable images of the turbulent era. His portrait of Roger Sherman is considered his masterpiece. It commemorates Sherman's service as a member of the First Continental Congress, from which he had just returned. Sherman sits in an austere interior on a… Continue reading Portrait of Roger Sherman, by Ralph Earl