American Art Overview
pre-civil-war
post civil war

American Colonial Art 1650 to 1775

Freake-Gibbs-Painter

Active in Massachusetts 1670-74

Nehemiah Partridge

Active in New England

born: 1683
died: 1737

Schuyler Limner

Active in Albany-Schenectady area between 1718 and 1725

Possibly Nehemiah Partridge.

John Smibert

born: Edinburgh, Scotland; 1688
died: Boston, Massachusetts; 1751

John Nelson 1732 Fine Arts Museum, San Francisco

Dean Berkeley and his Entourage About 1730 Yale University Art Gallery

Peter Pelham

born: 1695
died: 1751

Gustavus Hesselius

born: Sweeden; 1682
died: Philadelphia; 1755

He was a portrait painter and organ builder.

John Hesselius

born: 1728
died: 1788

John Hesselius was the son of the Swedish émigré artist: Gustavus Hesselius. John was born
in America, lived in Philadelphia until his marriage. Hesselius and his bride settled in Annapolis in 1763.

He was taught art by his father. And studied with Robert Feke, who visited Philadelphia in the 1740’s. He also learned from John Wollaston, an English artist active in America 1749-59. He painted many prominent citizens of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.

Charles Willson Peale took some of his early lessons in painting from John Hesselius.

  Paul Revere

born: Boston, Massachusetts; 1 January 1735
died: Boston; Massachusetts; 10 May 1818

Engraver, Siversmith and Patriot. The portrait next to his name is by John Singleton Copley, who you will find later on this same page. Revere, called himself a sculptor, by which he meant engraver. He engraved many things: political broadsides, business cards, bookplates, religious cards, Newspaper header banners, Masonic graduation and notification forms, money, and title pages for books. For some things he did the design, for others he just copied and engraved the plate for printing.

Here are six examples of his engraving work.

Robert Feke

born: Oyster Bay, New York; about 1707
died: Barbados?; 1752

Joseph Badger

born: Charlestown, Massachusetts; 1708
died: Boston, Massachusetts; 1765

Matthew Pratt

born: Boston, Massachusetts; 1734
died: London, England; 1805

Student of Benjamin West

  John Singleton Copley

born: Boston, Massachusetts; 3 July 1738
died: London, England; 9 September 1815

He migrated to England just before the American Revolution and became an important portrait painter in London. His American work is here and his English work is given in that section. The portrait of Copley next to his name is by Gilbert Stuart.

Benjamin West

born: Springfield, Pennsylvania; 1738
died: London, England; 1820

Death of General Wolfe 1770 National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa

Penn's Treaty with the Indians 1771 Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia

Agrippina landing at Brundisium with the Ashes of Germanicus 1768 Yale University Art Gallery

 

There are more Benjamin West pictures in the Gallery of English art.

Charles Winston Peale

born: Queen Ann's County, Maryland; 1741
died: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 1827

Student of Benjamin West

The Peale family is covered together in the next section -- America after the Revolution.

Henry Benbridge

born: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 1743
died: Norfolk, Virginia; 1812

James Peale

born: Queen Ann's County, Maryland; 1747
died: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 1831

James is Charles Winston Peale's brother. The Peale family is covered together in the next section.

John Johnston

born:
died:

American art overview
pre-civil-war
post-civil-war