The Death of General Wolfe (September 13, 1759)

P. Somebody

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This unauthorized copy of West's "Death of Wolfe" was inspired by the success of William Woollett's large, expensive engraving published in January 1776--the original painting was exhibited in 1771, revolutionized how painters depicted significant contemporary events. The anonymous engraver here signs himself "P. Somebody" and signals the print's low cost by dedicating it to "Lovers of Little Things and Cheap-Buyers."

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.

Metropolitan Museum of Art