British Surrender at Yorktown, 1781

Responses may include:

• The use of bright colors.
• The picture is arranged in four big horizontal stripes that cut across it. The tan road in the center of the image pulls your eye immediately.
• The painting almost looks like it is an illustration in a children’s book.
• There are many red coated soldiers marching in lines that seem to blend together.
• There are many different types of people featured including soldiers in uniform, women, white people, Black people, and children.
• Spectators seem to be watching the soldiers march.
• The ships in the background have cannons out and pointing towards the land.

Responses may include:

• Why did the artist use such bright colors?
• Why did the artist want to paint this moment?
• Who are the civilians that are watching this event?
• Who are the people on horseback?
• When was this painted?

Responses may include:

• There are two large ships that appear to be at anchor. You can’t see the sails.
• Both ships have lots of cannons pointing out of windows from the sides of the ships. The cannons are pointed at the land.
• There are four smaller row boats floating on the water each with 4-5 people in them. The people appear to be watching the action on the land.

Responses may include:

• Two large areas of green space include trees and plants that indicate it is land.
• There is a tan stripe of road sandwiched between the two green areas.
• The grassy land on both sides of the road appear to have spectators who are watching the military ceremony in the road.
• There are different people in non-military dress including women in gowns and hats, Black people in dresses and clothes without sleeves, and children wearing clothes similar to what the adults are wearing.
• Children walking with adults.
• Some of the people appear to be waving.

Responses include:

• There is a huge military parade of some kind.
• Lines of soldiers in red are walking behind someone in blue on horseback and someone in red on horseback.
• Perpendicular lines of soldiers in gray and blue are watching from the sides of the road.
• One individual on horseback appears to be closely watching the soldiers as they march past him.

Responses may include:

• Soldiers in red
• Soldiers in blue
• Soldiers in gray
• People on boats
• People on horseback
• People who are not soldiers
• White people
• Black people
• Adults
• Children

Responses may include:

• The artist uses contrasting color and sandwiches the light tan colored road between the bright green of the grassy area.
• The red lines of soldiers are perpendicular to the road, this creates a strong contrast in shape and color that grabs your eye.
• Almost every person in the painting is looking at the road.
• The cannons on the ships are pointing at the road.

Answers will vary, but may include:

• The painting appears to show when the British surrendered to George Washington.
• During the American Revolution, the British were called “red coats,” you can see their red uniforms here.
• Yorktown was near the water and navy ships played an important part in cutting off supplies or escaping, the water and ships are a major feature of this painting.
• The surrender of the British at Yorktown was a big deal and people knew that it meant the war was ending, the painting shows that everyone is looking at the surrendering troops. They recognize it is a major moment.

The painting conveys a sense of triumph and victory. The bright colors, the postures of the figures, and the celebratory mood all suggest that this is a joyful moment. The exaggerated style may also suggest a sense of national pride.

Answers will vary but may include:

• There are two groups of Black people who appear to be watching the surrender.
• Like some of the white people, some of the people of color appear to be waving. One even holds a white flag or piece of cloth that is blowing in the wind.
• The clothing that the people of color are wearing is different because all of them have exposed arms/no sleeves. The artist may be trying to emphasize their bodies to highlight the fact that even after the American Revolution, African Americans were forced to work and provide unpaid labor to build the new nation.
• The choice to paint the Black people in simple, less colorful clothing without sleeves may be intended to show that enslaved individuals at the time often lived in poor conditions and had to work in the elements–they did not have fancy clothing and such clothing was not practical given the work they had to perform.
• The artist may be trying to show the contradiction in American independence by including individuals who presumably would remain enslaved as witnesses to the joyful moment when the nation achieved its freedom.
• No Black people are shown in the military, when in reality, we know that thousands of African Americans, free and enslaved, served in the Continental Army. This might be because the artist did not know about the contributions of Black people because there are fewer records of their service.

Responses may include:

• The painting is a secondary source depicting the general event—Yorktown’s surrender—but its exaggerated style and symbolic representation may not provide an accurate, detailed depiction of the historical scene. It is based on secondary sources.
• The artist did not witness the event shown, nor could they even have known someone who had first hand knowledge of the surrender at Yorktown, so the painting is not a primary source, it’s more an artistic interpretation than a factual document.
• The painting is a good source to understand how a European immigrant to the U.S. may have viewed American independence 200 years later or for students seeking primary sources to help them understand the 1976 commemoration.

As an immigrant, de Mejo may have viewed the American Revolution as the quintessential story of a people fighting for freedom, much like the ideals the U.S. represented in the 20th century. His romanticization of the surrender could stem from a desire to celebrate his adopted country’s origins and highlight the positive, inspiring aspects of its history, possibly ignoring the more difficult or contradictory elements.

This painting shows that history is often romanticized or simplified when retold through art, especially when viewed through the lens of national pride or personal admiration. The nuances, contradictions, and struggles of history can be overshadowed by a desire to focus on triumphant moments, leading to an incomplete or idealized version of events.