Commodore Esek Hopkins Engraving
Circa 1780 — Frame: 8½ x 5¾ inches; sight: 7 x 4¼ inches
 
An engraved portrait of Esek Hopkins, recognized as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Produced in the late eighteenth century, the print reflects contemporary efforts to commemorate figures associated with the establishment of American military institutions.
 
Appointed by the Continental Congress in 1775, Hopkins led the navy’s first organized expedition, culminating in the capture of New Providence in the Bahamas, an early success that secured much-needed military supplies for the revolutionary cause. Portrait engravings of Hopkins are comparatively scarce and represent early visual records of a figure central to the origins of the United States Navy.
 
Condition: Very fine.