Context:
George Washington has long been a mythic figure in American history. That mythic status can be attributed not only to his deeds, but also to the production of hundreds of artists working both during his lifetime and after his death. Washington has been portrayed as a soldier, statesman, and god-like figure, as pious, honest, and a great public unifier.

Objectives: Students will understand how the production of artists can help illuminate the American past and how the production of artists can manipulate perceptions of the American past.

Materials:
1. The Apotheosis of George Washington, University of Virginia (http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/gw/gwmain.html)

2. Works from the U.S. Capitol Rotunda (http://www.aoc.gov/cc/capitol/rotunda.cfm); The Apotheosis of Washington (http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/rotunda/apotheosis/index.cfm)

3. Images of Washington (http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/PIX/pix_hp.html#W)

Activity:

Step 1: Read and Select Images
Read the background on George Washington from The Apotheosis of George Washington, University of Virginia Web site. Then examine a selection of images of Washington from all of the Web sites listed above. Choose several that portray Washington in a variety of guises and personae.

Step 2: Choose Images
Imagine yourself as a new immigrant to the United States at the turn of the twentieth century. Choose 4 images to view in chronological order. How would you interpret Washington and the Washington persona? As someone with no knowledge of that period, what do these images tell you about the history of eighteenth-century America?

Step 3: Present Your Argument
Outline an essay or an oral presentation to accompany the images you chose, explaining how an early twentieth-century immigrant would interpret the images, and why.