Alfred Wordsworth Thompson (May 26, 1840 – August 28, 1896) was an American landscape and history painter.

Biography

Alfred Wordsworth Thompson was born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

on May 26, 1840. After completing his secondary education, he was enrolled at

Newton University Newton University was a university in Baltimore, Maryland that was given a charter by the state of Maryland in 1845. It had a 77-member self-perpetuating board of regents. The first chancellor was Joseph Barlett Burleigh. After his death in 1849 ...

, to prepare him for a career in his father's law practice. His interest in art prevailed, however, and not long before the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

began, he had established his own art studio, where he created illustrations for '' Harper's Weekly'' and the '' Illustrated London News''.Biography
by David Michael Zellman, ''Three Hundred Years of American Art'' @ AskArt His contributions to ''Harper's'' included a sketch of the abolitionist

John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...

, whom he had visited in prison. When the war broke out, he went to work for them as a type of special correspondent; spending much of his time in Virginia.Biography
@ The Charleston Renaissance Gallery After holding that position for less than a year, and possibly fearing conscription, he quit and went to Paris, where he would remain until 1868. He was able to enter the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...

in 1864; studying with Charles Gleyre, Alberto Pasini and

Émile Lambinet Émile Lambinet (1813, Versailles – 1877, Bougival) was a French painter of rural scenes. A student of Horace Vernet then Corot, he spent most of his life in Yvelines, at first in his birthplace of Versailles, then at Bougival from 1860. Wor ...

. He also studied horse anatomy with the sculptor, Antoine-Louis Barye. In 1865, he exhibited a landscape at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

. Later, before returning home, he visited Germany and Austria and took a walking tour from

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. He chose to establish a studio in New York City, instead of Baltimore. Not long after, he exhibited some works at the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...

; becoming a member there in 1875. The Academy would be his major venue, with over 125 paintings sold there; 40 of them depicting scenes from the Revolutionary War. Despite this, in 1878, he joined the Society of American Artists, an organization formed in opposition to the Academy's conservative approach. He married Mary Pumpelly in 1876. He was an avid traveller throughout his life, visiting Turkey, Morocco and Spain. In the 1870s, during the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

, he made several what were then risky trips into Virginia and North Carolina, where he painted rural

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

scenes. Some of those paintings were exhibited at the Brooklyn Art Association and at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. His last twelve years were spent in semi-retirement in Summit, New Jersey. Many of his works may be seen at the

New York Historical Society The New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library in New York City, along Central Park West between 76th and 77th Streets, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The society was founded in 1804 as New York's first museum. ...

, the

Union League Club The Union League Club is a private social club in New York City that was founded in 1863 in affiliation with the Union League. Its fourth and current clubhouse is located at 38 East 37th Street on the corner of Park Avenue, in the Murray Hill ...

, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo and at the

Chrysler Museum of Art The Chrysler Museum of Art is an art museum on the border between downtown and the Ghent district of Norfolk, Virginia. The museum was founded in 1933 as the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences. In 1971, automotive heir, Walter P. Chrysler Jr. ...

. His Civil War painting ''Cannonading on the Potomac'' is in the art collection of the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

. Alfred Wordsworth Thompson died in Summit on August 28, 1896.

References

External links

More works by Thompson
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Alfred Wordsworth 19th-century American painters American landscape painters Military art American genre painters Artists from Baltimore 1840 births 1896 deaths