William Simpson (portrait artist)
William Simpson | |
|---|---|
| Born | William H. Simpson c.1818 |
| Died | 1872 Boston, Massachusetts, US |
| Occupation | Portrait painter |
| Known for | Painting, civil right activist |
William H. Simpson (c.1818 – 1872)[1] was an African American artist and civil right activist in the 19th century, known for his portraits.
Bibliography
[edit]William Simpson was born c.1818 in Buffalo, New York to an African American family.[2] He apprenticed with British–American Neoclassical portraitist and miniature painter, Matthew Henry Wilson (1814–1892).[2][3] In 1854, Simpson moved to Boston where he became known for his portrait paintings.[2] He is known for his portraits of Jermain Wesley Loguen, a former slave who became bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in New York.[2] Other subjects of his portrait paintings include Caroline Loguen, the wife of Jermain Loguen; Charles Sumner, the abolitionist and statesman; and John T. Hilton, the abolitionist, author, and businessman.[4]
After 1866, Simpson moved back to Buffalo, New York, and also lived throughout the Northern part of the United States and Canada.[5] He became an active speaker against slavery and participated in the Underground Railroad.[5] His painting style and aesthetic was influenced by European painting, which was common at the time for American artists.[5] However unlike the majority of American artists of his time, Simpson documented the lives of the first African American leaders.[5]
His work is included in public museum collections including at Howard University Gallery of Art,[2][4] and the Frick Collection in the art reference library.[6]
See also
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- Brown, William Wells (1874). The Rising Sun, or the Antecedents and Advancement of the Colored Race. The Basic Afro-American Reprint Library. Boston, MA: A. G. Brown. pp. 478–480. ISBN 9780598578051.
References
[edit]- ^ Irvine, Betty Jo (1969). Fine Arts and the Black American, Issue 6. Indiana University Libraries. p. 14.
- ^ a b c d e "Simpson, William H.". Benezit Dictionary of Artists. Oxford University Press. October 31, 2011. doi:10.1093/benz/9780199773787.article.b00204445. ISBN 978-0-19-977378-7. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Brown, William Wells (1874). The Rising Son: Or, The Antecedents and Advancement of the Colored Race. The Basic Afro-American Reprint Library. Boston, MA: A. G. Brown. pp. 478–480. ISBN 978-0-598-57805-1.
- ^ a b Dickason Cederholm, Theresa (1973). Afro-American Artists: A Bio-Bibliographical Directory. Boston Public Library. Boston, MA: Trustees of the Boston Public Library. p. 258. ISBN 978-0-89073-007-2.
- ^ a b c d Lewis, Samella S. (2003). African American Art and Artists. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. pp. 20–21. ISBN 978-0-520-23935-7.
- ^ Simpson, William H. (1920), William H. Simpson c.1818–1872: artist file, Frick Art Reference Library, retrieved December 21, 2020