Chester Harding (painter)
Chester Harding (born September 1, 1792 in Conway , Massachusetts , † April 1, 1866 in Springfield ) was an American portrait painter .
Life
Harding was born on September 1, 1792 in what is now Franklin County . Without having had any schooling, he had to start working at the age of 12. In 1806 his family moved to Madison County , New York, and Harding volunteered as a drummer for the British-American War in 1812. After he had been discharged from military service for health reasons during the war, he initially took on a job as a drum maker for the army and after the war worked as a furniture maker in Caledonia .
On the day of his wedding to Caroline Woodruff, he was arrested for his debts and tried unsuccessfully to run an inn after his release. After facing re-arrest for over-indebtedness, he fled the city, leaving his wife and newborn child to work as a house painter in Pittsburgh . However, he soon returned to his family in secret and opened a shield painting in Pittsburgh. There he was visited one day by a wandering portrait painter who convinced him that he could make money by painting. His first commission - a portrait of a local baker - received him $ 5, but was able to increase his prices to $ 25 after a stay in Kentucky.
He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for two months and spent 15 months in St. Louis before moving to Pittsfield and Boston . At this time he was already very popular, which Gilbert Stuart referred to as "Harding fever". In six months he made 80 portraits and was able to collect enough funds to be able to afford a stay overseas.
On August 1, 1823, he left his family and sailed for Northampton . After traveling through England and France, he opened a studio in London , where he stayed for three years until his return to the United States . There he also achieved great success and made, among other things, portraits of members of the British royal family and other nobles.
After his return he settled with his family in Boston in 1826, where the Chester Harding House can still be seen today as a National Historic Landmark . In 1830 the family moved on to Springfield , where Harding died on April 1, 1866.
He painted portraits of many celebrities of his time. These were:
- James Madison , 4th US President
- James Monroe , 5th US President
- John Quincy Adams , 6th US President
- Daniel Webster , US Senator and Secretary of State
- John C. Calhoun , 7th US Vice President
- The Dukes of Norfolk
literature
- Polly M. Rettig: National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form. (PDF) United States Department of the Interior , National Park Service , July 1975, accessed November 24, 2016 .
Web links
- Literature by and about Chester Harding in the WorldCat bibliographic database
- Worcester Art Museum - Harding's biography
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Harding, Chester |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American portrait painter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 1, 1792 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Conway , Massachusetts |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 1, 1866 |
| Place of death | Springfield , Massachusetts |