Patrick Henry Before the Virginia House of Burgesses

Artist Peter Frederick Rothermel (1812–1895) depicts Patrick Henry delivering the Virginia Stamp Act Resolves on May 29, 1765. Henry (standing in a red coat) is surrounded by members of the Virginia House of Burgesses, including Edmund Pendleton, Peyton Randolph, George Wythe, and Speaker of the House John Robinson.

Patrick Henry Before the Virginia House of Burgesses secured Rothermel’s immediate and lasting fame as a historical painter. The Philadelphia Art Union commissioned him to paint it in 1851. Rothermel chaired a group of thirty-five artists who pledged to contribute paintings valued at a minimum of $50. Rothermel contributed Patrick Henry Before the Virginia House of Burgesses for a commission of $1,000.

Patrick Henry delivered one of his most famous speeches before the Virginia House of Burgesses on May 29, 1765. Opposing the Stamp Act, he introduced several resolutions asserting the rights of the colonies to make their laws. Rothermel depicted Patrick Henry at the conclusion of his fiery oratory as he declared, “Tarquin and Caesar had each his Brutus—Charles the First, his Cromwell—and George the Third may profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it!” In Rothermel’s painting, the audience is moved by Henry’s impassioned words. The artist’s composition is dramatic yet sophisticated and leaves little doubt that he had closely studied the works of High Renaissance and Baroque painters Titian, Rubens, and Caravaggio. Although not entirely historically accurate in its depiction, Rothermel’s portrayal captured the romanticism of the 19th century and the patriotic zeal influencing Americans during this period.