For the painting, "The First Shot," the models, rather than the artist, may have suffered more for their art.

The Butler County scene they were re-creating -- an American Indian shooting at George Washington and Christopher Gist in December 1753 -- took place in winter.

"I had these guys posing in June or July on what must have been the hottest, most humid day of the year," artist Deac Mong said. "Their clothing was authentic -- wool and in layers. They were tough guys, but they were sweating like crazy."

The painting will be unveiled tonight at the Sen. John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh's Strip District.

The work was commissioned by retired Butler County Judge Martin J. O'Brien. The history center seemed an appropriate place for the ceremony, he said, because it already is home to a permanent French and Indian War exhibit.

"The purpose of this project was to raise awareness of people in Butler and Western Pennsylvania about a critical event," said Judge O'Brien, who said he has been interested in local history for a long time.

The painting depicts an incident in which Washington, two months shy of his 22nd birthday, was nearly shot.

Washington, representing the British government, and Gist, his guide, were returning from a diplomatic mission to French outposts on the Pennsylvania frontier. Their task was to urge the French to leave the territory along the Ohio River that was claimed by Great Britain.

Heading back on foot toward the Forks of the Ohio, they met an American Indian who warned them about unfriendly Indians in the region. They were suspicious of his intentions but accompanied him toward his cabin, where they planned to stay overnight.

Somewhere near present-day Evans City, their new companion, standing no more than 30 feet away, fired his gun in the direction of the two men.

Neither was hit.

It is the moment when the Indian fired that Mr. Mong re-created in his painting.

Had Washington been killed in 1753, American history would have been very different, Judge O'Brien said. "He was the most important leader during the American Revolution and at the Constitutional Convention."

Completion of the painting was timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the naming of Pittsburgh -- another event in which Washington played a role.

"He first traveled north through Butler County to Fort LeBoeuf in 1753," the judge said. "He came back with [Gen. Edward] Braddock in 1755, traveling along what is now Route 40."

Braddock's army met disaster at the hands of French and Indian fighters just east of Pittsburgh. "As Braddock was dying, he gave Washington his sash," Judge O'Brien said.

Three years later, Washington returned to southwestern Pennsylvania as an aide to Gen. John Forbes, who in November 1758 forced the French to abandon Fort Duquesne.

"Then Forbes advised William Pitt he planned to name the town at the Point for him -- Pittsburgh," Judge O'Brien said. Forbes, a Scotsman, likely would have pronounced the name more like "PITTS-bur-o," he noted.

Judge O'Brien served as a Common Pleas judge and senior judge for 19 years. He first saw an example of Mr. Mong's work in the Venango County courthouse in Franklin, where he had been assigned to hear a case there.

"It was a beautiful painting of Washington's arrival at Fort Venango," the judge recalled.

Tonight's unveiling of "The First Shot" is an invitation-only event sponsored primarily by NexTier Bank and Armstrong Cable.

Judge O'Brien has not selected a permanent home for the painting.

"I'm hoping it can be displayed at different places around the county," he said. "The painting shows an important event from our nation's history -- and it happened here. People should not forget about it."