Fighting History – Antony Beevor on patriotic paintings

The death of Captain Cook, Amelia Earhart’s aeroplane, the miners’ strike … the new Tate Britain show ranges widely in its exploration of conflict and catastrophe in history paintingA painting at the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1771 caused a sensation. Benjamin West’s The Death of General Wolfe, which depicted the moment of victory in the battle of Quebec 12 years earlier, helped break the convention that soldiers in historical scenes should be shown wearing classical costume.West, from