Benjamin West (1738-1820), a Pennsylvania Quaker, produced this large canvas (151.1 x 213.4 cm) which has been described as "probably the most famous of all historical paintings." As a representation of an historical event, the oil painting has been described by historian C.P. Stacey as "among the worst ever produced." Only three or four men attended the dying Wolfe; his officers were occupied with their duties elsewhere on the battlefield. Indeed, one person shown was not even in North America at the time. The presence of the Amerindian is gratuitous; all the Amerindians at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham were fighting for France.
Completed in 1770, and purchased in 1771 by Lord Grosvenor, this work brought fame and fortune to the artist. Breaking with the tradition which presented military leaders in classical or medieval dress, West adopted the increasingly popular approach of using contemporary dress. Replicas of The Death of Wolfe were ordered for King George III, for General Robert Monckton (the senior brigadier in Wolfe's army), and for the Prince of Waldeck. West made a considerable profit on engravings after the work, and Stacey has suggested that he may even have collected a fee from some of the individuals who appeared in the painting for the honour of being included.
In 1918 the Second Duke of Westminster, a descendant of Lord Grosvenor, presented the painting to the Canadian War Memorials through Lord Beaverbrook. Thus, in tribute to the sacrifices by Canadian soldiers during the First World War, this remarkable work returned to the land where the event represented however inaccurately had occurred.
Additional information on this work can be found in C.P. Stacey's article "Benjamin West and the Death of Wolfe" in the National Gallery of Canada Bulletin, 4 (1966) no. 1, pp. 1-5.
Courtesy: National Gallery of Canada, National Museums of Canada (8007)
