F. Luis Mora, born Montevideo, Uruguay - The Surrender of Cornwallis (cancelled plate from the portfolio The - ca. 1932 - T-Shirt

This ca. 1932 etching by F. Luis Mora shows the capitulation of British forces at Yorktown, the moment that effectively ended the military fighting of the American Revolutionary War.

Visual Elements & Composition

The print is rendered in black-and-white etching line, with the formal surrender at its centre. The composition gives the most room to the gathered armies and the transfer of the British surrender, so the eye moves across the crowd of figures toward the event itself. The image is printed from a cancelled plate, so it reads as a finished historical scene rather than a working proof.

Meaning & Symbolism

The scene marks the culmination of the American struggle for independence in October 1781, when Lord Cornwallis surrendered to the joint American and French armies. It stands for the validation of George Washington's military leadership and the birth of a new sovereign nation. Mora, the first Hispanic member of the National Academy of Design, made the plate for the Bicentennial Pageant of George Washington portfolio during the Great Depression, when patriotic printmaking turned to foundational history to build public unity. The image carries the weight of that victory and the price paid for it.

Designed for the Tee

An etching built on fine line and a single central event rewards a closer look, and a crew-neck tee puts that look at chest height, where the viewer meets the image face to face. The design sits on the front of the shirt as a complete scene, so the detail of the crowd and the surrender reads as you move. Wearing it carries the story of Yorktown into everyday life.