The Soldier Who Painted Washington
Peale painted this Washington soon after the victory at Yorktown had effectively secured American independence.
Opinion
The American Experiment, in All Its Glory and Absurdity
The painting is at once a celebration of American self-government and a wry acknowledgment of its imperfections.
Small by Comparison
Victoria Coates says Xi Jinping comes to the White House holding the weaker hand, and Trump knows it.
The Empty Chair
Ali Safavi says Iran’s mullahs are on their last legs and the West should bet on the people.
A Light in the American Darkness
To Americans who had spent four years watching their country tear itself apart, the heavens themselves seemed to offer a portent.
The Veteran in a New Field
The Veteran in a New Field is both a national image and an intimate one: America in 1865, victorious, productive, reunited.