Statue of George Washington
The artist did not know Washington, and so sculpted him in a traditional Roman style, with a toga. Patriots were horrified, fearing that this made Washington look like the sort of royalty they had just rebelled against. So the toga was recharcterized as a war blanket, and the scroll in Washington's hand as war plans. I noted that Washington was not barefoot like a typical Roman statue, but that he is wearing appropriate footwear for his period.
Statue of George Washington
The artist did not know Washington, and so sculpted him in a traditional Roman style, with a toga. Patriots were horrified, fearing that this made Washington look like the sort of royalty they had just rebelled against. So the toga was recharcterized as a war blanket, and the scroll in Washington's hand as war plans. I noted that Washington was not barefoot like a typical Roman statue, but that he is wearing appropriate footwear for his period.