The Death of General Wolfe

One of the most celebrated images of 18th-century historical painting, The Death of General Wolfe hails the victory of the British over the French during the Seven Years’ War. This event established British dominance in North America and dictated the cultural heritage of the future United States of America. At the same time, the American origins of its original artist, Benjamin West (1738-1820), and his meteoric rise in the British art world points to the strengths and talents of the emerging nation. West’s decision to depict the figures in contemporary dress was a radical departure from the traditional practice of using clothing and settings from Antiquity and ultimately one that brought him the greatest fame. After completing the original 6 x 8 foot canvas commissioned in 1770 by Lord Grosvenor, West executed four other renditions on a similar grand scale during the following decade for the likes of King George III and Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck. The artist of the work offered here may have copied directly from one of West’s paintings or based his work on the widely disseminated 1776 print by William Woollett (1735-1785), engraver to the King.

Bearing a paper label on the reverse handwritten in what appears to be 19th-century script, this painting was in the collection of Ness Castle, the Inverness, Scotland residence of one branch of the Fraser family. The castle was built by Simon Fraser (1727-1810), a wealthy merchant in London and a director of the East India Company. He ran his business from Kings Arms Yard in the City of London and resided at Dartmouth House, Blackheath, Kent. With substantial means, Fraser was well positioned to commission a copy of West’s famous painting, various versions of which were exhibited in London in the 1770s and later popularised by William Woollett’s engraving. After his death, Ness Castle was occupied by his daughter Margery, the widow of Alexander Fraser, 15th Saltoun (1758-1793) and later owned by his grandson, Hon. William Fraser (1791-1845). For more on the merchant Simon Fraser and his descendants, see Alexander Fraser, The Frasers of Philorth, vol. I (Edinburgh, 1879), pp. 209-210, 216, 312-313.

Interestingly, one of the figures in the foreground is General Simon Fraser (1726-1782), also from Inverness but from a different branch of the Fraser family. After the General’s father, Simon “the Fox” Fraser, 13th Lord Lovat (1670-1747) was beheaded in the Tower of London and his family’s estates confiscated for his part in the Jacobite uprising of 1745, the younger Simon sought to regain his family’s fortunes through military service to the Crown. He raised a regiment, the King’s 78th Highlanders, and fought under General James Wolfe in Canada. Due to previous injuries, he, like several other of the identifiable figures in West’s painting, was not present at the battle. Nevertheless, he is clearly recognizable wearing the Fraser tartan, the second from the left in the cluster surrounding the dying Wolfe. West’s depiction of Fraser in full Highland dress was significant because after the uprising in 1745, the dress had been banned as part of the Disarming Act, yet General Fraser had convinced General Wolfe to allow the 78th Highlanders to wear the traditional dress during the Battle of Quebec. General Fraser was living in London in the early 1770s and from 1775 until his death in 1782, resided at 12 Downing Street. He may have commissioned this copy during this time. In 1774, by an Act of Parliament, his family estates were restored in recognition of his military service, yet five years later, he had incurred substantial debts, forcing him to place his estate in trust. Besides a distant familial connection, General Fraser had ties to the merchant of the same name and if the former commissioned the work, it could have later passed into the possession of the latter. General Fraser was enlisted in the East India Company’s military and was known to have influence within the Company. Furthermore, the merchant Simon Fraser was close friends with Alexander Fraser (1733-1794), from yet another Inverness branch of the family, who oversaw the settlement of General Fraser’s estates. For more on General Simon Fraser, see John Anderson, Historical Account of the Family of Frisel or Fraser, Particularly Fraser of Lovat (London, 1825), pp. 161-164; Alexander MacKenzie, History of the Frasers of Lovat (Inverness, 1896), pp. 486-501.