Kerr Eby, born Tokyo, Japan 1889-died - Washington and Lee at Monmouth (from the portfolio The Bicentennial Pageant of - 1932 - T-Shirt

Kerr Eby's etching shows a mounted officer raising his sword above advancing infantry as a village burns and smoke rolls across the battlefield.

Visual Elements & Composition

The print is built almost entirely from cream, with sepia black doing the heavy work in the figures and smoke. Warm grey and light taupe step the tones down through the middle ground, so the eye moves from the bright open field toward the dark mass of soldiers. A rider on a horse sits at the centre of the action, with mounted figures receding into the background. Muskets angle across the lower half, and billowing smoke over burning buildings fills the upper edge. The plate has irregular edges, and a small numeral "12" marks the sheet.

Meaning & Symbolism

The scene depicts the Battle of Monmouth during the American Revolutionary War, where General George Washington and General Charles Lee faced each other in a tense exchange of command. Eby made the image in 1932 for the portfolio The Bicentennial Pageant of George Washington, and it stands for leadership under pressure and the stakes of the struggle for independence. Eby, an American artist known for his etchings and historical subjects, also produced the World War I work for which he is widely remembered, and this print shows the same command of human drama.

Carried Across the Chest

An etching reads best at close range, where fine lines and hatching resolve into soldiers and smoke. On this tee, the drama of the scene sits at the front of the body, so the raised sword and advancing ranks are the first thing seen when you turn to face someone. The cream ground of the print gives the composition room to breathe against the shirt, letting the dark figures carry the story.