This is one of the most famous history paintings by Benjamin West. It depicts the death of General James Wolfe at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham which ended the siege of Quebec in 1759. It is an autograph copy (a copy painted by the artist) of the original painting, which was displayed to great acclaim at the Royal Academy in 1771. This version was commissioned by George III for 300 guineas to be hung at his London residence, Buckingham House (now Buckingham Palace). The scene, as imagined by West, with its heroic depiction of the dying Wolfe surrounded by his officers, a martyr to British imperialism, was emulated many more times in paintings, prints and sculpture during the eighteenth and nineteenth century.