Ralph Earl (May 11, 1751 – August 16, 1801) was an American painter known for his portraits, of which at least 183 can be documented. He also painted six landscapes, including a panorama display of

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Fall ...

Early life

Ralph Earl was born on May 11, 1751 in either Shrewsbury or

Leicester, Massachusetts Leicester ( ) is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts. The population was 11,087 at the 2020 United States Census. History What is now Leicester was originally settled by the Nipmuc people and was known by them as ''Towtaid''. On January 27 ...

, the oldest of four children of Ralph Earle and Phebe Whittemore Earl. By 1774, he was working in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

as a portrait painter. In the autumn of 1774, Earl returned to

to marry his cousin, Sarah Gates. A few months later, their daughter Phebe was born in January 1775. Earl left them both with Sarah's parents and returned to New Haven to continue painting portraits. Earl's wife and daughter joined him in New Haven in November 1776, and they lived there until May 1777, when their son, John, was born. Sarah later attested that this six-month period "was all the time we kept house together."

Career

Like many of the colonial craftsmen, Earl was self-taught, and for many years was an itinerant painter. In 1775, Earl visited

Lexington and Concord The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord ...

, which were the sites of recent battles in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

. Although his father was a colonel in the

Revolutionary army In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

, Earl himself was a Loyalist. Working in collaboration with the engraver Amos Doolittle, Earl drew four battle scenes that were made into pro-Revolutionary propaganda prints. In 1778, he left behind his wife and daughter and escaped to England by disguising himself as the servant of British army captain John Money. 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 ...

, he entered the studio of

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 ...

, and painted the king and many notables. Earl continued painting portraits in the town of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

. He later married Ann Whiteside, an English woman, despite the fact that he had never ended his marriage with Sarah Gates. In 1785 or 1786, Earl returned to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

with his new wife.

Return to America

After his return to America, he made portraits of Timothy Dwight, Governor Caleb Strong,

Roger Sherman Roger Sherman (April 19, 1721 – July 23, 1793) was an American statesman, lawyer, and a Founding Father of the United States. He is the only person to sign four of the great state papers of the United States related to the founding: the Con ...

, and other prominent men. He also painted a large picture of

. In September 1786, while living 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 ...

, Earl was imprisoned for failing to pay his personal debts. Even while in jail, he drew portraits of his visitors, friends, and family of the

Society for the Relief of Distressed Debtors A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Socie ...

. He was released in January 1788.

Personal life

Earl probably trained his son, painter

Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl (born 1785–1788; died Nashville, Tennessee September 16, 1838), also known as Ralph E. W. Earl or Ralph Eleazer Whiteside Earl, was an American painter known as the "court painter" to President Andrew Jackson. He also ...

, and was an influence on his nephew

Augustus Earle Augustus Earle (1793–1838) was a British painter. Unlike earlier artists who worked outside Europe and were employed on voyages of exploration or worked abroad for wealthy, often aristocratic patrons, Earle was able to operate quite indepen ...

who is reputed to have been the first European artist to have visited all five continents. Ralph's brother

James Earl James Earl (May 1, 1761 – August 18, 1796) was an American painter and younger brother of fellow portrait painter Ralph Earl. He was born in Leicester, Massachusetts, and died of yellow fever in Charleston, South Carolina. He lived and worke ...

(1761–1796) was also a portrait painter. He died in

Bolton, Connecticut Bolton ( ) is a small suburban town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. It is primarily residential with an economy made up mostly of small businesses. The high school typically has between fifty and one hundred students per grade. The ...

, on August 16, 1801, at age 50.

Alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...

is believed to be the main cause of death.

Influence

Earl was also an influence on John Brewster, Jr.

Gallery

File:'Portrait of Henriette Luard' by Ralph Earl, 1783.jpg, Portrait of Henriette Luard' by Ralph Earl, 1783 File:Richard varick officer continental army.png, ''

Richard Varick Richard Varick (March 15, 1753 – July 30, 1831) was an American lawyer, military officer, and politician who has been referred to as "The Forgotten Founding Father." A major figure in the development of post-Independence New York City and Stat ...

'' (c. 1787),

Albany Institute of History & Art The Albany Institute of History & Art (AIHA) is a museum in Albany, New York, United States, "dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting and promoting interest in the history, art, and culture of Albany and the Upper Hudson Valley region". ...

File:Major General Friedrich Wilhelm Augustus Baron von Steuben by Ralph Earl.jpeg, alt=Painting Steuben in uniform, ''Portrait of Major General von Steuben wearing the badge of the Society of the Cincinnati'' (c,. 1786) File:Mrs. Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton.jpg, ''Portrait of

Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton Elizabeth Hamilton (née Schuyler ; August 9, 1757 – November 9, 1854), also called Eliza or Betsey, was an American socialite and philanthropist. Married to American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, she was a defender of his works and co- ...

'' (c. 1787) File:Brooklyn Museum - Clarissa Seymour (later Mrs. Truman Marsh) - Ralph Earl - overall.jpg, ''Portrait of Clarissa Seymour (later Mrs. Truman Marsh)'' (1789), Brooklyn Museum File:TRUMAN MARSH (page 2 crop).jpg, Rev Truman Marsh File:Ralph Earl - Elijah Boardman - WGA7452.jpg, ''Portrait of

Elijah Boardman Elijah Boardman (March 7, 1760 – August 18, 1823) was an American politician who served as a senator from Connecticut. Born to a noted and politically connected Connecticut family, he served in the Connecticut militia before becoming a noted ...

'' (1789) File:Esther Boardman.jpg, ''Portrait of Esther Boardman'' (1789),

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

File:OliverAbigail.jpg, ''Portrait of Oliver and Abigail Ellsworth'' (1792),

Wadsworth Atheneum The Wadsworth Atheneum is an art museum in Hartford, Connecticut. The Wadsworth is noted for its collections of European Baroque art, ancient Egyptian and Classical bronzes, French and American Impressionist paintings, Hudson River School lands ...

, Hartford File:Mrs_Benjamin_Tallmadge_and_son_Henry_Floyd_and_daughter_Maria_Jones_1790.jpeg, ''Portrait of Mrs. Benjamin Tallmadge with son Henry Floyd and daughter Maria Jones'' (1790) File:Benjamin_Tallmadge_by_Ralph_Earl.jpeg, ''Portrait of Benjamin Tallmadge with son William'' (1790) File:Marinus Willett MET DT2936.jpg, '' Marinus Willett'' (1791)

References

External links

* * Portrait of Roger Sherman, 1775 (age 24)
Earl-PortraitRSherman
* "Early American Paintings" (biography), Worcester Art, 2005, webpage

Union List of Artist Names, Getty Vocabularies.
ULAN Full Record Display for Ralph Earl. Getty Vocabulary Program, Getty Research Institute. Los Angeles, California. * "Early American Paintings" (biography), Worcester Art, 2005, webpage

{{DEFAULTSORT:Earl, Ralph 1751 births 1801 deaths 18th-century American painters 18th-century American male artists American male painters People from Leicester, Massachusetts Artists from Massachusetts American portrait painters Artists from New Haven, Connecticut People imprisoned for debt