Tom Lovell "Surrender at Appomattox" Framed Print, Nat'l Geographic

Tom Lovell (1909–1997) painted this scene of the Appomattox surrender for the April 1965 centennial issue of National Geographic, commissioned to mark the 100th anniversary of the Civil War's end. The composition is among his most celebrated historical works: Robert E. Lee seated at left, pen in hand, signing at a walnut-topped table with aide Charles Marshall standing behind him holding the surrender terms; Ulysses S. Grant seated at right amid a ring of Union officers before the McLean house parlor fireplace. Lovell reconstructed the room with documentary precision — the hunting pictures on the walls, the corner bookcase, the red patterned carpet, the candlesticks on the mantel — all drawn from firsthand accounts and period photographs of the McLean house interior. The image carries Lovell's signature in the plate at lower right, and a printed title plaque reading Surrender at Appomattox / April 9, 1865 is affixed below the mat.

Lovell was elected to both the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame and the National Academy of Western Art, and spent his later decades painting in Santa Fe, New Mexico — giving his work particular resonance in the New Mexico market. His meticulous approach to historical illustration set the standard for the genre: he was known to build scale models of settings, acquire period uniforms and props, and consult primary sources before touching brush to canvas. The Appomattox painting stands as one of the defining images of the Civil War centennial era, reproduced widely through National Geographic Society distribution. This example is presented double-matted in navy and gray with a gilt-line accent, glazed, and housed in a beaded mahogany-tone wood frame — a presentation consistent with authorized National Geographic Society fine art print editions of the period. A maker mark is present on the print confirming the printmaker.

CONDITION

Excellent. No damage to the print, matting, glass, or frame. Colors are strong with no visible fading. Presents clean and ready to hang.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall framed: 19½" H × 27½" W × 1" D
• Visible image: 12¼" H × 20¼" W
• Medium: Color print
• Published: National Geographic, April 1965 centennial issue
• Presentation: Double-matted (navy and gray with gilt-line accent), glazed, beaded mahogany-tone wood frame
• Signed in plate lower right: Tom Lovell
• Title plaque affixed to mat: Surrender at Appomattox / April 9, 1865
• Maker mark present on print