<p>A crowd of British officers and a prominently featured Mohawk warrior surround the wounded and dying Major General James Wolfe at the battle of Quebec in this 1770 history painting by Benjamin West. Wolfe’s leadership and death at the battle, which took place on September 13, 1759, and turned the tide of the war in Great Britain’s favor, earned him a hero’s reputation in England.</p>
<p>In reality only three people were with Wolfe at his death. The man who painted this scene, Pennsylvania-born artist Benjamin West, never intended to recreate it with perfect historical accuracy. His goal was to depict a fairly recent historical event using a neoclassical artistic style to inspire feelings of national pride and moral virtue. While this style has gone out of fashion, The <em>Death of General Wolfe</em> was a massive success in England at the time of its exhibition and played a major role in art history. West, and this painting specifically, were credited with revolutionizing history painting.</p>
