John Trumbull’s Painting
In 1797, John Trumbull painted this portrait of Thomas Grosvenor and Asaba, a man Grosvenor enslaved, fighting together at the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill.
The artist John Trumbull was born in 1756 in Lebanon, CT. The son of Connecticut governor Jonathan Trumbull, John served in the Continental Army and then established himself as a painter. His historical depictions helped to define the nation’s vision of the Revolutionary War.
The subjects of this painting, Asaba and Thomas, both lived in Pomfret, CT. Thomas served in the Continental Army for nearly eight years. After the war, he returned to Pomfret, became a probate judge, and was elected to the General Assembly. Of Asaba, less is known. The 1790 Census lists one free non-white person and two enslaved people in Grosvenor’s household. The free man was likely Asaba—who may have secured his freedom as a result of his Revolutionary War service. One of the enslaved people was probably Asaba’s son, James Peter, who was not emancipated until his 25th birthday in 1794.
This painting is in the Yale University Art Gallery.
Credits
John Trumbull’s painting is in the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven.