Artist

Early Life.

Son of Gov. Jonathan Trumbull, John Trumbull was born in Lebanon, Connecticut. 1 Coming from a wealthy and privileged background, Trumbull resolved to pursue his artistic aspirations from an early age. After graduating from Harvard in 1773,Trumbull painted his first work, The Death of PaulusAemilius at the Battle of Cannae. Although its subject is classical, this painting expresses his political concerns about the escalating tensions between Britain and the colonies. Soon after the outbreak of the Revolution at the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, his sympathy for the cause spurred him to join the army as an adjutant to Gen. Joseph Spencer. In 1776 Gen. Horatio Gates appointed Trumbull a deputy adjutant general, giving him the rank of colonel. The following year, however, Trumbull resigned from the army, angered by a dispute over the date of his commission from the Continental Congress. Returning...