In 1779 Charles Willson Peale painted an official portrait of General George Washington (1732–1799, ll.d. 1781) to commemorate the victories of the Continental army at Trenton and Princeton, New Jersey. In response to the great popularity of the portrait, Peale produced a number of replicas, of which this is an example. Peale shows the general under a soaring American flag with the Hessian banners captured at Trenton clustered around his feet. In the background, American soldiers lead British prisoners off the field. In the original portrait and its immediate followers, Washington wears a blue ribbon across his breast, the insignia of the commander-in-chief since 1775. On June 18, 1780, however, Washington changed the military dress code, eliminating the blue sash and replacing it with three silver stars on the epaulettes. Peale clearly had started the present portrait before this date, as a long blue sash, painted out by the artist at a later date, today shows through. This pentimento, which records a specific moment in the history of American military dress, may be unique among the replicas of the portrait.