Henry Benbridge (October 1743 – February 1812) was an early
American portrait painter.
Early life and education
He was born in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
, the only child of James and Mary (Clark) Benbridge. When he was seven years old, his mother, who had been left a widow, was married to Thomas Gordon, a wealthy
Scot
The Scots ( sco, Scots Fowk; gd, Albannaich) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic-speaking peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded t ...
. The boy's artistic talent was encouraged. He made decorative designs for his stepfather's drawing-room which were much admired. When he was fourteen years old he may have watched John Wollaston paint Gordon's portrait. It has been plausibly argued that young Benbridge had instruction from Wollaston, since his earliest known portrait, that of his half-sister Rebecca Gordon, "seems to hark back to Wollaston." When he was 21, Benbridge was sent to
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, where he studied with
Pompeo Batoni
Pompeo Girolamo Batoni (25 January 1708 – 4 February 1787) was an Italian painter who displayed a solid technical knowledge in his portrait work and in his numerous allegorical and mythological pictures. The high number of foreign visitors tra ...
and
Anton Raphael Mengs
Anton Raphael Mengs (22 March 1728 – 29 June 1779) was a German painter, active in Dresden, Rome, and Madrid, who while painting in the Rococo period of the mid-18th century became one of the precursors to Neoclassical painting, which replace ...
.
Sojourn in England
In 1769, on commission from
James Boswell
James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 ( N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of his friend and older contemporary the English writer ...
, biographer of Dr.
Samuel Johnson, he made a portrait of
Pasquale Paoli
Filippo Antonio Pasquale de' Paoli (; french: link=no, Pascal Paoli; 6 April 1725 – 5 February 1807) was a Corsican patriot, statesman, and military leader who was at the forefront of resistance movements against the Genoese and later ...
in
Corsica which he took to London. It was exhibited (1769) at the Free Society of Artists, and from it three
mezzotint
Mezzotint is a monochrome printmaking process of the '' intaglio'' family. It was the first printing process that yielded half-tones without using line- or dot-based techniques like hatching, cross-hatching or stipple. Mezzotint achieves tonal ...
s were scraped and published with the artist's name signed "Bembridge." Like other young Americans he was encouraged by
Benjamin West
Benjamin West, (October 10, 1738 – March 11, 1820) was a British-American artist who painted famous historical scenes such as '' The Death of Nelson'', ''The Death of General Wolfe'', the '' Treaty of Paris'', and '' Benjamin Franklin Drawin ...
. He wrote, on December 7, 1769, to his stepfather: "Upon my arrival I waited upon Mr. West who received me with a sort of brotherly affection, as did my cousin, Mrs. West." Impelled, apparently, by a longing to rejoin his family, he left England in 1770, bearing from West the following note of recommendation to Francis Hopkinson: "By Mr. Benbridge you will receive these few lines. You will find him an Ingenous artist and an agreeable Companion. His merit in the art must procure him great incouragement and much esteem. I deare say it will give you great pleasure to have an ingenous artist resident amongst you."
Mature career
In Philadelphia Benbridge married
Hetty Sage and was admitted on January 18, 1771, to membership in the
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
, of which
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...
was a founder. He painted the large portrait of the Gordon family, with six figures, one of his masterpieces. Suffering, however, from
asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...
, he sought a more congenial climate and moved to
Charleston, South Carolina, where he succeeded
Jeremiah Theus
Jeremiah Theus (sometimes Jeremiah Theüs) (April 5, 1716 – May 17, 1774) was a Switzerland, Swiss-born United States, American painter, primarily of portraits. He was active mainly around Charleston, South Carolina, in which city he remained a ...
(d. May 18, 1774) as the popular portrait painter of South Carolina. There he made many likenesses of southern men and women, several of which have been popularly attributed to
John Singleton Copley, an artist who never painted in the South and who left America in 1774.
Around 1800 Benbridge settled in
Norfolk, Virginia, whence he made frequent visits to his native city. At Norfolk he gave to
Thomas Sully
Thomas Sully (June 19, 1783November 5, 1872) was a portrait painter in the United States. Born in Great Britain, he lived most of his life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He painted in the style of Thomas Lawrence. His subjects included nation ...
his first lessons in oil painting. He had previously instructed Thomas Coram of Charleston. Sully describes his master as "a portly man of good address–gentlemanly in his deportment." Benbridge's health is said by Hart to have declined in middle age. Dunlap's assertion that his last years were passed "in obscurity and poverty" has been disputed.
Artistic style and reputation
As a technician Benbridge drew well and painted solidly, exhibiting many characteristics of the late Italian masters. His contemporary Charles Fraser (quoted by Dunlap) said that "his shadows were dark and opaque and more suitable to the historical style."
[Quoted by Dunlap.] Hart says "Benbridge was impregnated by the brownish sameness of Batoni's palette and his shadows were too opaque, and although later he was somewhat emancipated from these errors, all his work belongs to the late Italian school." His paintings, nevertheless, were notably good in respect of their black-and-white values and some of his miniatures are exquisite. His Italianate mode was much appreciated in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern states during his lifetime.
Gallery
File:"Enoch Edwards Family 1779" by the artist Henry Benbridge.jpg, ''"Enoch Edwards Family 1779"'' by Henry Benbridge. Benbridge is seated at left. His half-sister, Frances Gordon, at right, is shown with her husband Dr. Enoch Edwards. The dark haired woman is Enoch Edwards' niece. Philadelphia Museum of Art
File:Potts by Benbridge.jpg, ''Dr. Jonathan Potts (1745-1781)'', oil on canvas of 1770/1776, in the Art Institute of Chicago
File:Henry Benbridge - Charles Cotesworth Pinckney - Google Art Project.jpg, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney by Benbridge
File:Archibald Bulloch 1.jpg, Georgia Governor Archibald Bulloch
Archibald Stobo Bulloch (January 1, 1730 – February 22, 1777) was a lawyer, soldier, and statesman from Georgia during the American Revolution. He was the first governor of Georgia.
He was also a great-grandfather of Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, ...
1775 by Benbridge
File:Mrs William Alston Jr Henry Benbridge.jpeg, ''Mrs. William Allston, Jr.'', oil on canvas, circa 1784, Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts
Old Salem is a historic district of Winston-Salem, North Carolina that was originally settled by the Moravian community in 1766. This small city features a living history museum (operated by the non-profit Old Salem Museums & Gardens, organize ...
File:Benbridge miniature.jpg, ''Elizabeth Ann Timothy (Mrs. William Williamson)'', watercolor on ivory of 1775
File:Captain John Purves and His Wife, Eliza Anne Pritchard (1775).jpg, '' Captain John Purves and His Wife, Eliza Anne Pritchard,'' oil on canvas, 1775, Winterthur Museum
Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library is an American estate and museum in Winterthur, Delaware. Pronounced “winter-tour," Winterthur houses one of the richest collections of Americana in the United States. The museum and estate were the home o ...
File:Thomas Middleton of Crowfield and His Daughter Mary.jpeg, ''Thomas Middleton of Crowfield and His Daughter Mary'', oil on canvas, c. 1776, Historic Charleston Foundation
Historic Charleston Foundation (HCF) was founded in 1947 to preserve and protect the integrity of the architectural, historical, and cultural heritage of Charleston, South Carolina, United States. The Foundation undertakes advocacy, participatio ...
Notes
References
* ''Hildeburn, Charles R., ed.. Baptisms and Burials From the Records of Christ Church, Philadelphia, 1709-1760. Philadelphia, PA, USA: Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 1877-1893.''
* "Henry Benbridge". ''Dictionary of American Biography''. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928–1936.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benbridge, Henry
18th-century American painters
18th-century American male artists
American male painters
19th-century American painters
Artists from Philadelphia
1744 births
1812 deaths
Artists from Charleston, South Carolina
Artists from Norfolk, Virginia
Painters from South Carolina
Painters from Virginia
Painters from Pennsylvania
Members of the American Philosophical Society
19th-century American male artists