John Watson (1685 – August 22, 1768) was an early American painter, born in Scotland.
Early life
Watson was born in Scotland in 1685, probably near
Dumfries. He worked initially painting house interiors, before turning to portraiture.
Work in America
In 1715 he emigrated to
Perth Amboy
Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,436. Perth Amboy has a Hispanic majority population. In the 2010 census, th ...
,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
. Watson bought property in the city east of Rector Street and south of
St. Peter's Episcopal Church on the Perth Amboy bluffs and built himself a house in which to reside and one to keep his paintings. Early historian
William Dunlap
William Dunlap (February 19, 1766 – September 28, 1839) was a pioneer of American theater. He was a producer, playwright, and actor, as well as a historian. He managed two of New York City's earliest and most prominent theaters, the John Str ...
believed this to be the first collection of art in America.
[Dunlap, William. ''A History of the Rise and Progress of the Arts and Design in the United States''. C.E. Goodspeed & Co: Boston, 1918.] In 1776, his nephew, Alexander Watson, who was heir to his estate, withdrew from Perth Amboy, which was under pressure from colonial forces under
General Hugh Mercer. Soldiers raided Watson's collection and, according to Dunlap, probably distributed and destroyed many of the portraits of English heroes and kings.
Contrary to Dunlap's knowledge, however, numerous portraits by Watson still exist today. The
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a long-established research facility, based in Philadelphia. It is a repository for millions of historic items ranging across rare books, scholarly monographs, family chronicles, maps, press reports and v ...
has a portrait of
Governor William Keith (shown on the left) and his wife, Lady Ann Keith
née Newberry or Newbury, and the
Brooklyn Museum has his portrait of
Governor Lewis Morris. The
New Jersey Historical Society
The New Jersey Historical Society is a historical society and museum located in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The Historical Society is housed in the former headquarters of the Essex Club. It has two floors of exhibition spac ...
has two portraits: one of William Eier, the first mayor of Perth Amboy, and one of
Governor William Burnet. Watson died in 1768 and is buried in St. Peter's Episcopal Cemetery in Perth Amboy.
Gallery
File:Brooklyn Museum - Governor Lewis Morris - John Watson - overall.jpg, New Jersey Governor Lewis Morris
File:WilliamKeith.JPG, Pennsylvania Governor William Keith
File:WilliamBurnetByJohnWatson.jpg, New Jersey and New York Governor William Burnet
Artworks
Attributed artworks
References
Sources
* Inventories of American Painting (IAP), Smithsonian Institution Research Information System(SIRIS)
http://sirismm.si.edu/siris/aboutari.htm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, John
1685 births
1768 deaths
18th-century American painters
18th-century American male artists
American male painters
Scottish emigrants to the United States
18th-century Scottish painters
Scottish male painters
People from Dumfries and Galloway
People from Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Painters from New Jersey
Scottish portrait painters
American portrait painters