William Bonnell (February 1, 1804 – October 12, 1865) was an American portrait painter. His works are generally placed in the

folk art Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture. Definitions vary, but generally the objects have practical utility of some kind, rather than being exclusively decorative art, decorative. The makers of folk art a ...

category, due to his lack of formal training.

Biography

Born in

Clinton, New Jersey Clinton is a town in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. It is located on the South Branch of the Raritan River in the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town's population was 2,719,Revolutionary War Colonel Abraham Bonnell (1732-1797), the proprietor of a tavern that was one of the first recruiting places for

minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...

in that area. He married Margaret Hinchman (1813-1901) in 1836. As of now, only twenty paintings of his are known to exist, most inscribed with his name and a date on the reverse. An unsigned painting of a hunting dog with the unlikely name of "Chustetunk's Frosty Ferris" may be his first canvas. His first signed and dated works are from 1823. Traditionally, a sign that was originally in

Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia *Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region *Hampton, Victoria Canada *Hampton, New Brunswick *Hamp ...

at the Perryville Inn, with

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

and an American flag, is credited to him, but he was not known as a sign painter. Most of his works date from c.1825, when he painted the likenesses of several

Hunterdon County Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 128,947, making it the state's 18th-most populous county,Warminster, Pennsylvania Warminster Township (also referred to as Warminster) is located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was formally established in 1711. The township is 13.7 miles north of Philadelphia and had a population of 32,682 according to the 201 ...

. No works after c.1835 have been discovered. His proficiency shows a distinct improvement over the course of his career; including the addition of background landscapes.Bonnell
@ InCollect Some of his works may be seen at the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

. The sign is at the Hunterdon County Historical Association in Flemington.

References

External links

Bonnell
@ the Schwarz gallery {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonnell, William 1804 births 1865 deaths 19th-century American painters American portrait painters Artists from New Jersey People from Clinton, New Jersey