General Joseph Reed — President of Pennsylvania & Continental Officer
After Pierre Eugène du Simitière; published by R. Wilkinson, No. 58 Cornhill, London, 15 May 1783
Stipple and line engraving
Frame: 7½ x 6⅜ inches; sight: 6 x 4¾ inches
 
A finely executed stipple and line engraved portrait of General Joseph Reed, shown in profile within an oval medallion against a densely worked stippled ground. The composition was drawn by Pierre Eugène du Simitière and engraved by B. B. Ellis, and published in London by R. Wilkinson on 15 May 1783. The inscription beneath identifies Reed as “Member of Congress, President & Commander in Chief of the State of Pennsylvania.” Prints of this type formed part of a series issued in Britain at the close of the American Revolutionary War, introducing European audiences to the principal political and military figures of the new United States.
 
Reed, a Philadelphia lawyer and patriot leader, served as Adjutant General of the Continental Army and later as President (Governor) of Pennsylvania from 1778 to 1781, guiding the state during the most difficult years of the conflict. A delegate to the Continental Congress, he also signed the Articles of Confederation. Reed became widely noted for rejecting a British attempt at bribery—reportedly declaring that he was “not worth purchasing,” and that the King of Great Britain was not rich enough to buy him—an episode often cited as emblematic of Revolutionary resolve.
 
Condition: Excellent.