Happy 4th of July

According to the AmericanRevolution.org Web site, "Despite the near universality of this image as synonymous with Americanism and its instantaneous recognition in the iconography of the Revolution, the world of art has never considered it to be Art with a capital "A".

It was painted by Archibald McNeal Willard (1836-1918) who grew up in Ohio and was a carraige painter by trade. Willard moved to New York City to study art in 1873 and painted this work for the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876."

Willard is known to have created at least four different versions. When it was first completed it known as "Yankee Doodle", and only later became known as "The Spirit of '76".

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