Of all Robert Edge Pine's paintings, George Read (1784) is the most famous; it hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.. Close behind come Jeffery Amherst, first Baron Amherst (1784) and General William Smallwood (1785). Among the 55 works by Robert Edge Pine in our catalogue, these 55 are the most celebrated, each shown with its date, its museum and its story.
Ranked by our popularity score, which combines the searches, visits and orders for each work. Updated November 2026. Each painting on this page can be ordered as an oil reproduction painted by hand on linen canvas, or as a fine art print, made to the size you choose.
An elderly man sits in a three-quarter view, his body angled toward the right while his presence anchors the frame. He is a study in muted tones: deep browns, blacks, and the pale cream of a ruffled shirt. His hair, a powdered white, is styled with the precision of the late eighteenth century. A single light source from the upper left carves his features out of the shadows, illuminating a…
This portrait presents Jeffery Amherst, first Baron Amherst, as captured by the British artist Robert Edge Pine. Painted in 1784, the work offers a formal study of a significant British figure during a period of profound political transition. The subject is rendered with a sense of quiet authority, reflecting the social standing inherent to his title.
C Robert Edge Pine executed this portrait of General William Smallwood between 1785 and 1788. The subject was a prominent military officer and politician hailing from Charles County, Maryland. Smallwood’s service during the American Revolutionary War included rising to the rank of major general.
is a formal 18th-century full-length portrait by Robert Edge Pine. Executed about 1766, the work presents a young man positioned within an outdoor setting. The subject is depicted in the guise of a sportsman, a common theme for portraiture of this period.
A Glimpse into 18th-Century Society: Samuel Vaughan, Trader, President of the American Philosophical Society This striking portrait by c Robert Edge Pine offers a captivating window into the…
Have it painted by hand from $178 →
George Washington, appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental army, took command of a ragtag force of some 17,000 men in July 1775. He kept an army together for the…
Bring this light home from $178 →
The four subjects that return most often on these canvases, each with its best-loved example.
The 8 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Robert Edge Pine | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 National Portrait Gallery |
Washington, D.C. | 5 | George Read, Patience Lovell Wright, Robert Morris |
 National Portrait Gallery |
London | 4 | George Washington, Catharine Macaulay, Nee Sawbridge -, David Garrick |
 Yale Center for British Art |
New Haven | 1 | Jeffery Amherst, first Baron Amherst |
 National Gallery of Art |
Washington | 1 | General William Smallwood |
 Brigham Young University Museum of Art |
Provo | 1 | Portrait of Mrs. Reid in the Character as a Sultana |
 Art Gallery of New South Wales |
Sydney | 1 | The young sportsman |
 Sudbury Hall |
Ashbourne | 1 | John De Warenne |
 Clevedon Court |
Clevedon | 1 | Bethia Legge |
A long career in colour: 23 years, 1763 to 1785, and Robert Edge Pine's most celebrated canvases of each year.
is a formal 18th-century full-length portrait by Robert Edge Pine. Executed about 1766, the work presents a young man positioned within an outdoor setting. The subject is depicted…
An elderly man sits in a three-quarter view, his body angled toward the right while his presence anchors the frame. He is a study in muted tones: deep…
This portrait presents Jeffery Amherst, first Baron Amherst, as captured by the British artist Robert Edge Pine. Painted in 1784, the work offers a formal study of a…
C Robert Edge Pine executed this portrait of General William Smallwood between 1785 and 1788. The subject was a prominent military officer and politician hailing from Charles County,…
George Washington, appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental army, took command of a ragtag force of some 17,000 men in July 1775. He kept an army together for the…
George Read (1784), National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.. Jeffery Amherst, first Baron Amherst (1784) and General William Smallwood (1785) follow.
Robert Edge Pine, born in 1730, was 54 years old: George Read dates from 1784.
George Read, Jeffery Amherst, first Baron Amherst, General William Smallwood, Portrait of Mrs. Reid in the Character as a Sultana, The young sportsman, Patience Lovell Wright, George Read, Portrait of John Wilkes ), Robert Morris and Margaret Brown Stone. Each canvas in the ranking above comes with its year and its museum.
55 works by Robert Edge Pine are in our catalogue, dated 1763 to 1785.
Mostly in National Portrait Gallery (Washington, D.C.), National Portrait Gallery (London) and Yale Center for British Art (New Haven); the list above names each museum and its canvases.
In 1785, which gave 5 of the 55 works on this page, General William Smallwood among them.
The earliest canvas here is Portrait of Mrs. Reid in the Character as a Sultana (1763); the latest is General William Smallwood (1785).
18th century (10), Portrait (9) and Historical figure (7), across the 55 works on this page.
Oil On Canvas, used in 4 of the 55 works on this page.
Neoclassicism, as the canvases on this page show.
The National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C. holds 5 of the works on this page, among them George Read, Patience Lovell Wright and Robert Morris.
Yes. Every painting on this page can be ordered from its own page as an oil reproduction painted by hand, or as a fine art print, in the size you choose.
In the grand tapestry of the eighteenth century, few artists captured the profound transition from colonial tension to national identity as poignantly as Robert Edge Pine. Born in London in 1730, Pine was a man of two worlds, an Anglo-American painter whose life and work bridged the gap between the established elegance of the British Enlightenment and the raw, burgeoning spirit of the American Revolution. His artistic lineage was rooted in the meticulous precision of his father, John Pine, a renowned engraver and cartographer. This early exposure to the disciplined world of printmaking instilled in Robert a foundational reverence for detail and an uncanny ability to translate complex narratives into visual reality, a skill that would later serve him as he documented the faces of history.
Pine’s early career in London was marked by significant prestige, as his talent for portraiture earned him the attention of the era's most influential figures. He moved within the sophisticated circles of the Society of Artists and the Free Society of Artists, painting luminaries such as George II and the celebrated actor David Garrick. His work during this period was characterized by a refined mastery of character, capturing not just the physical likeness of his subjects but the subtle psychological nuances that defined the European elite. Yet, beneath this polished exterior lay an artist deeply attuned to the shifting political tides of the Atlantic world, a sensitivity that would eventually draw him across the ocean to the shores of a new nation.
The final chapter of Pine’s life saw him relocate to Philadelphia, where he became an essential visual chronicler of the American struggle for independence. During these transformative years, his art transcended mere portraiture to embrace the profound weight of history painting. His masterpiece, “America,” painted in 1778, stands as a breathtaking testament to his allegorical prowess. In this work, Pine did not merely paint a landscape or a person; he painted an idea. By depicting America as a suffering figure receiving solace from symbols of liberty, concord, plenty, and peace, he provided a visual language for the very ideals that fueled the revolution, offering hope and moral clarity to a nation in the throes of war.
Beyond his allegorical triumphs, Pine’s commitment to documenting the American cause is perhaps most famously realized in his ambitious, though unfinished, work, “Congress Voting Independence.” This monumental composition sought to immortalize the interior of Independence Hall, populating it with the portraits of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Through this project, Pine attempted to weave together the individual identities of the Founding Fathers into a singular, cohesive narrative of democratic birth. His ability to capture figures like George Washington—specifically in his rare, mature portrait executed at Mt. Vernon—demonstrates his unique capacity to document the human element behind the political icons.
Though his life was cut short in 1788, the legacy of Robert Edge Pine remains an indispensable part of the American artistic canon. He occupied a critical historical interlude, a period between the departure of masters like Copley and the return of Stuart, where his work served as a precious record of a society on the precipice of change. His contributions can be summarized through several enduring impacts:
Today, the works of Robert Edge Pine are cherished not merely as beautiful objects of art, but as historical windows. They allow us to peer into the very heart of the eighteenth century, witnessing the faces of those who shaped a continent and feeling the pulse of a revolution through the evocative strokes of his brush.
