Artwork
The Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion is an unspecified painting by the American Folk Art artist Frederick Kemmelmeyer. It dates from 1798 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
History & Provenance
No specific inventory or accession numbers are provided in the available sources, nor is there any documented exhibition history for this piece.
The Whiskey Rebellion is an oil painting created in 1795 by Frederick Kemmelmeyer. Although the work was long considered anonymous, it is now attributed to Kemmelmeyer. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The painting The Whiskey Rebellion by Frederick Kemmelmeyer is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Created in 1795, the work is classified as a painting within the museum's holdings. No specific inventory or accession numbers are provided in the available sources, nor is there any documented exhibition history for this piece.
Overview
Frederick Kemmelmeyer, a self‑taught American artist, completed the oil painting The Whiskey Rebellion in 1798. The work belongs to the folk‑art tradition, noted for its direct, narrative quality, and it is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas portrays a moment from the 1790s tax protest known as the Whiskey Rebellion. In the foreground, mounted men charge across a grassy plain, while a mass of uniformly dressed figures lines the background, suggesting the tension between insurgent riders and the assembled populace.
Technique & Style
Kemmelmeyer employs bold, vigorous brushwork to render the horses and riders, giving them a sense of kinetic energy that contrasts with the relatively flat, static crowd behind them. The palette is restrained, dominated by earthy browns, muted greens and soft blues, and the sky is rendered in a pale, almost washed‑out tone.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Frederick Kemmelmeyer (c. 1755 – c. 1821) was an American painter. He was entirely self-taught and his work is generally classified as folk art.
Washington before Yorktown
Washington's Triumphal Entry into New York
The Passage of the Delaware
Napoleón chargeant a Waterloo (Napoleón a la carga en Waterloo)
The First Sight of Moscow
The Battle of Kolin 1757
Untitled
Military Review with Fath Ali Shah and Abbas Mirza
General Washington on a White Charger
Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown- An Incident of the Revolution