Thaddeus Kosciuszko, by Julian Rys, c. 1897.


Oil on canvas of Tadeusz Kosciuszko, by Julian Rys, c. 1897.
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Born in Lithuania, then a part of Russian Poland, Tadeusz Kosciuszko came to America in August, 1776, after an extensive education in military engineering in both Poland and France. Polish expatriate Julian Rys probably based this painting on an engraving, which had been based on Josef Grassi's 1792 portrait of Kosciuszko. In 1897 the Polish National Alliance donated Rys" portrait to the City of Philadelphia for the gallery in Independence Hall.