William Williams (1727 – 27 April 1791) was a Welsh-American
painter who wrote a novel, ''The Journal of Llewellin Penrose, Seaman'', considered by many to be the first American novel.
Early life
Williams was born in
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, but his family originated in
Caerphilly,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
.
Seafaring and ''Penrose''
![William Williams - Gilbert McHutchin - Google Art Project](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/William_Williams_-_Gilbert_McHutchin_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
Williams is believed to have been a seafarer during the early part of his life. During that time he became a friend and shipmate of
William Falconer. Williams wrote ''The Journal of Llewellin Penrose, Seaman'', believed to be partly autobiographical, about a sailor who is cast away in the New World. This book is accounted by many scholars as the first American novel. Williams could not find a publisher for the book, however, because its clearly fictional elements did not fit in with the then-current vogue for true travel tales. The novel was not published until 1815, and then only in a revised form. The original text was not published until 1969.
Abstract for the paper "Imaginary Landscape? William Williams and ''The Journal of Penrose, Seaman''"
Sarah Wadsworth, University of Minnesota, 1997
Artistic career
He began living 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 ...
around 1747 after his time at sea. In Philadelphia he was instrumental in building America's first theater, maintained an art studio at "The Sign of Hogarth's Head," and taught art to a young 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 ...
, among others. West later credited Williams for piquing his interest in painting.
Williams associated with 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 ...
, Franklin's business partner David Hall, patriot and intellectual Benjamin Lay
Benjamin Lay (January 26, 1682 – February 8, 1759) was an Anglo-American Quaker humanitarian and abolitionist. He is best known for his early and strident anti-slavery activities which would culminate in dramatic protests. He was also an auth ...
, and William and Lewis Hallam. Traveling with the Hallam Company he lived for a time in Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
and afterwards in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, where he was married to Mary Mare, the sister of artist John Mare Jr.
Williams returned to England in 1776, where he lived in London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
for some time and renewed his friendship with Benjamin West. He subsequently returned to Bristol where he painted for several years before falling on hard times. He died in the Merchants' and Sailors' Almshouse in Bristol in 1791.
Legacy
Williams left his personal property to Thomas Eagles, a gentleman who helped him gain admission to the almshouse, where he lived until his death. The bequest included many books, a self-portrait (now in the collections of the Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library
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 ...
), and the manuscript of ''Penrose''. The Rev. John Eagles, son of Thomas, prepared an edited copy of this for publication, including 37 watercolours mainly by Nicholas Pocock
Nicholas Pocock (2 March 1740 – 9 March 1821) was an English artist known for his many detailed paintings of naval battles during the age of sail.
Birth and early career at sea
Pocock was born in Bristol in 1740, the son of a seaman.Chatte ...
, intended for engraving. This Eagles version appeared in 1815, but without the illustrations, and in 2006 its manuscript was acquired by the National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a maritime museum in Greenwich, London. It is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, a network of museums in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Like other publicly funded national museums in the Unite ...
, Greenwich, UK. Williams' original manuscript, bequeathed to Eagles senior, is at the Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest ca ...
. The manuscript was transcribed and published in 1969 by David Howard Dickason.
Descendants
William and Mary had one son, William Joseph Williams, born in New York City in 1759. William Joseph Williams became a painter as well, and is considered the first American portraitist.
See also
*Robinson Crusoe
''Robinson Crusoe'' () is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. The first edition credited the work's protagonist Robinson Crusoe as its author, leading many readers to believe he was a real person and the book a tra ...
References
External links
Brief biography
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, William
1727 births
1791 deaths
18th-century English painters
18th-century English male artists
English male painters
18th-century American painters
18th-century American male artists
18th-century American novelists
18th-century American male writers
American male novelists
American male painters
American people of Welsh descent
American portrait painters
American theatre managers and producers
Artists from Bristol