John Trumbull saw the American Revolution firsthand, including being shot at and jailed as a spy.  He was seen by his contemporaries as a painter, but he thought of himself as a historian, wanting “to preserve and diffuse the memory of the noblest series of actions which have ever presented themselves in the history of man.”  He knew John Jay well, having served as his secretary during the negotiations of the Jay Treaty, and he painted the only portrait in the Homestead’s collection that Jay actually sat for (the rest are copies).  

Brookhiser is author also of several renowned biographies of Founders — Marshall, Madison, Washington, Morris, Lincoln too — and has written and published widely, including serving as a senior editor at National Review.  He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2008 by President George W. Bush.

Pre-talk reception at 6:30pm.