The Spirit of '76
Henry S. Sadd, English, 1810 - 1893
after Tompkins Harrison Matteson, American, 1813 - 1884
1862
Mezzotint and engraving on wove paper
Impression: 14 7/8 × 18 3/4 in. (37.8 × 47.6 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Purchased through the Appleton 1794 Memorial Fund
PR.945.76
Publisher
William Smith
Geography
Place Made: England, United Kingdom, Europe
Period
19th century
Object Name
Research Area
Not on view
Inscriptions
Printed, lower left: PAINTED BY T.H. MATTESON, ESQ.; center: PUBLISHED BY WM. SMITH, PRINT SELLER 702 SOUTH 3RD ST. PHILAD.A / THE SPIRIT OF - 76. / From Matteson's Picture Painted Expressly for this Engraving; lower right: ENGRAVED ON STEEL BY H.S. SADD
Label
Standing tall at the center, a soldier takes a musket and bayonet from his father and a sword from his mother as he prepares to take up arms in the American Revolution. His wife buckles a crossbody bag and his son holds his powder horn. A nursemaid at the right holds a copy of the Declaration of Independence, reminding viewers of the sacrifices made during the American Revolution to achieve independence from Great Britain.
This print was not made during the American Revolution. It was made during the second year of the American Civil War (1861–65) to encourage patriotism. Accessible to many middle-income households, this print marshaled Revolutionary imagery to remind Americans of the importance of taking up arms and defending the Union against traitors who sought to destroy it.
From the 2025-26 exhibition Revolution Reconsidered: History, Myth, and Propaganda, curated by Michael W. Hartman (Jonathan Little Cohen Curator of American Art), Haely Chang (Jane and Raphael Bernstein Associate Curator of East Asian Art), Elizabeth Rice Mattison (Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Academic Programming and Curator of European Art), Ashley B. Offill (Curator of Collections), and Evonne Fuselier (Hood Museum Board of Advisors Mutual Learning Fellow)
Exhibition History
A Self-Portrait of America, Lower Jewett Corridor, Hopkins Center Art Galleries, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, June 18-September 16, 1984.
Lower Jewett Corridor, Hopkins Center Art Galleries, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, January 23-March 21, 1976.
Revolution Reconsidered: History, Myth, and Propaganda, Harteveldt Family Gallery and Owen Robertson Cheatham Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, October 18, 2025 - August 8, 2026.
Provenance
Cora McDevitt Wilson (1880-1975), The Book & Print Shop, Hanover, New Hampshire; sold to present collection, 1945.
This record is part of an active database that includes information from historic documentation that may not have been recently reviewed. Information may be inaccurate or incomplete. We also acknowledge some language and imagery may be offensive, violent, or discriminatory. These records reflect the institution’s history or the views of artists or scholars, past and present. Our collections research is ongoing.
We welcome questions, feedback, and suggestions for improvement. Please contact us at: Hood.Collections@dartmouth.edu