Washington Crossing the Delaware Limited Edition Fountain Pen

Eagle Pen Company designed this limited edition Washington Crossing the Delaware fountain pen as a tribute to the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, George Washington. Part of a limited edition of 76 pens, the Washington Crossing the Delaware pen features a cap with a miniature painting by Karen Libecap and a wooden pen body, hewn from an actual horse chestnut tree planted by George Washington in 1794.

Karen Libecap is an accomplished miniaturist painter. She works for upwards of eight hours on each cap painting, painting in monotone oils. For this pen, Peterson was inspired by the famous oil-on-canvas by the German American artist Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, painted in 1850. 

Leutze's painting commemorates General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River on the night of December 25–26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War. That action was the first move in a surprise attack against the Hessian forces at Trenton, New Jersey, in the Battle of Trenton. As the end of 1776 came to a close, the American army was exhausted, depleted, and demoralized. The British had run revolutionary forces out of both New York and New Jersey. Knowing that the majority of the militia’s period of service was about to expire on the 31st of December, it was imperative that Washington craft a strategic and offensive next move. The surprise attack was successful, proving to be a major victory and providing the much-needed morale boost for Americans to re-enlist. Leutze’s painting of the crossing has become the most iconic image of American Revolutionary history. 

Based on Libecap’s original sketches, Eagle Pen Company crafted a wooden pen body hewn  from the “Georgia Tree,” the last remaining of the thirteen horse-chestnut trees planted by George Washington in 1794. Planted on Fauquier Street in downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia, the thirteen trees were a representation of the thirteen original colonies. The tree was researched, documented, and named by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1924. In 2004, this beautiful tree, at 222 years old, succumbed to old age and was felled. It now serves as one of the last physical links to George Washington. The entire pen is sealed with a glassy lacquer, protecting the artwork and wood for generations to come.

Pen Specifications: 

This pen comes as a fountain pen with a complimentary rollerball writing kit. Ink for both fountain pen and rollerball are included. Pen is constructed of solid, surgical-grade stainless steel. Wood body, with a hand-painted cap.  Pen is sealed in clear lacquer.