William Brooke Thomas Trego (September 15, 1858 – June 24, 1909) was an American painter best known for his historical military subjects, in particular scenes of 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 ...

and

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

Biography

William B. T. Trego was born in Yardley,

Bucks County Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in 1858, the son of the artist Jonathan Kirkbridge Trego and Emily Roberts née Thomas. At the age of two William's hands and feet became nearly paralyzed, either from

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

, or from a doctor administering a dose of

calomel Calomel is a mercury chloride mineral with formula Hg2Cl2 (see mercury(I) chloride). The name derives from Greek ''kalos'' (beautiful) and ''melas'' (black) because it turns black on reaction with ammonia. This was known to alchemists. Calomel ...

(mercurous chloride). Trego's family moved to Detroit in 1874 where William was enrolled in the local school, but an incident where 16-year-old William burned off all his hair with a gas jet made his father decide to teach William in his studio from then on. Despite his crippled hands, young William showed an aptitude for art, learning to paint with a brush jammed in his right hand while he guided it with his left.Battery B, 4th U.S. Light Artiller
William B.T. Trego
/ref> William Trego first received public attention when he exhibited a painting titled ''The Charge of Custer at Winchester'' in 1879 at the

Michigan State Fair The Michigan State Fair is an annual event originally held from 1849 to 2009 in Detroit, the state's largest city. In 2009 the governor declined to fund it because of other priorities. Because agriculture still has a major place in the Michigan ec ...

. His depiction of

George Armstrong Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from West Point in 1861 at the bottom of his class, b ...

's charge at the

Third Battle of Winchester The Third Battle of Winchester, also known as the Battle of Opequon or Battle of Opequon Creek, was an American Civil War battle fought near Winchester, Virginia, on September 19, 1864. Union Army Major General Philip Sheridan defeated Confederate ...

was described by the '' Cleveland Press'' as "one of the best historical paintings of the kind that has ever been produced by an American artist."

Pennsylvania Academy years

Battery of Light Artillery en Route William T Trego 1883

Later that year, Trego used the proceeds from the sale of ''The Charge of Custer at Winchester'' to enroll himself at the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He studied at PAFA for three years under

Thomas Eakins Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins (; July 25, 1844 – June 25, 1916) was an American realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important American artists. For the length ...

, in courses that included instruction on aspects of the human figure, including anatomical study of the human and animal body and surgical dissection. Trego did not appreciate Eakins' rigorous, terse teaching style, and would later remark: :"Fortunately for myself I was drilled in the principles of drawing in my father's studio before I went to the Academy, so that I was able to some extent to brave the sarcasm and neglect of Eakins"http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/8aa/8aa147.htm "The Artist as Interpreter of American History"
by Mark Thistlethwaite excerpted from the exhibition catalogue ''In This Academy: The Pennsylvanian Academy of the Fine Arts 1805 - 1976'' The March to Valley Forge William Trego

In an 1882 Academy exhibition, Trego won the first Toppan Prize for his work, ''Battery of Light Artillery en Route,'' and the painting was subsequently purchased for the Academy by Fairman Rogers. In 1883, Trego received what he thought was a snub from the Academy when the art jury for the Temple Competition of Historical Paintings, a competition intended to help revive historical painting by limiting entries to depictions of the American War of Independence", decided there were no paintings of sufficient quality to merit a 1st or second place, and awarded Trego 3rd place for his painting of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

and his troops called ''The March to Valley Forge''. Trego sued the Academy on the grounds that if his painting was the best overall, it should receive first place (and he should get the $3,000 prize money). In 1886, he lost the case, with the

Pennsylvania Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme Ju ...

ruling the jury was well within their rights under the contract of the exhibit to award prizes as they saw fit.

North Wales studio

Civil War Battle Scene 1887 William T Trego

After leaving the Academy, Trego lived in

North Wales, Pennsylvania North Wales is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It is a suburb of Philadelphia and is one of the three historic population centers that make up the North Penn Valley, which is centered on the borough of Lansdale. It is approximately ...

, with his mother and father. Except for trips abroad, Trego would live in North Wales for the rest of his life, working in a studio behind his house. He used the town residents, their horses, and the surrounding landscape as models and backdrops for his paintings. Trego was becoming well known for the accuracy of his military depictions as well as the honest, sometimes brutal realism, especially in his Civil War subjects The Civil War works were well received and Trego had much success selling paintings during that time.

Paris

In 1887, he went to Paris to study at the Académie Julian under the French academic painters

Tony Robert-Fleury Tony Robert-Fleury (1 September 18378 December 1911) was a French painter, known primarily for historical scenes. He was also a prominent art teacher, with many famous artists among his students. Biography He was born just outside Paris, and st ...

and

William-Adolphe Bouguereau William-Adolphe Bouguereau (; 30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings, he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of classical subjects, with an emphasis on the female ...

. Trego studied at the French museums while he was there and enjoyed the Paris night life with other Pennsylvania Academy alumni such as

Robert Henri Robert Henri (; June 24, 1865 – July 12, 1929) was an American painter and teacher. As a young man, he studied in Paris, where he identified strongly with the Impressionists, and determined to lead an even more dramatic revolt against A ...

, Augustus B. Koopman, Henry McCarter, and Frederick J. Waugh. Trego also participated in the Paris Salons of 1889 and 1890, gaining some recognition for his 1889 submission, a military painting titled ''The End of the Charge of von Bredow’s Brigade at Rezonville'' depicting German cavalry units charge against French during the Franco-Prussian War. One French writer thought this work put Trego on par with the famous French academic military artist, Édouard Detaille. On his ocean voyage home from Paris in 1890, Trego returned to America not only with new found knowledge of French academic painting, he also returned with a French fiancée. But in a sad and very public event on board ship, the "handsome French girl" (as reported in the newspapers of the time) switched her affections to fellow Académie Julian student James R. Fisher. When they arrived in Philadelphia the news papers reported the two artists as parting "''bitter enemies''".

Later years

After his return to the States, Trego's work received much acclaim from critics. In 1891, noted American art collector Thomas Benedict Clarke wrote of Trego: :"''In the accomplishment of his work, which is marked by strength, firmness, and force, he has had to overcome physical infirmities that would have made a less brave and earnest character halt at the threshold''." Despite these accolades and the prestige of exhibiting in the Paris Salon, Trego found it hard to sell paintings due to the declining in popularity of realistic military artwork. He painted portraits and genre paintings to make money and took on work doing book and magazine illustration. He also tried unsuccessfully to become an instructor at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. He lived with, and was supported by, his parents during the 1890s. Trego's father died in 1901 and his stepmother died six years later. Trego's increasing financial problems during this time made him take on students including

Walter Emerson Baum Walter Emerson Baum (December 14, 1884 – July 12, 1956) was an American artist and educator active in the Bucks and Lehigh County areas of Pennsylvania in the United States. In addition to being a prolific painter, Baum was also responsible fo ...

and his wife, Flora. Trego tried to revive his career by basing a painting on the popular novel '' Ben Hur'' with one of his last works, ''The Chariot Race from Ben Hur'' (1908). He sent it to the 1909

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the f ...

exhibition in New York but it failed to spark any interest. William Trego was found unconscious in his studio on June 24, 1909 and was dead by the time the doctor arrived. His obituary in ''The New York Times'' reported that he died of "overexertion" due to "excessive heat". The cause of death specified on his death certificate was a supposed suicide by the administration of some unknown poison. The contents of his North Wales studio were left to

Legacy

During his lifetime, Trego had painted over 200 historical and military paintings. These would become so widely published after his death that writer Edwin Augustus Peeples commented: :"There is probably not an American History book which doesn't have (a) Trego picture in it". In 1976, Trego's ''The March to Valley Forge'' had become such an iconic image of that event that it was reproduced as a souvenir postage sheet issued by the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

as part of the observance of the

United States Bicentennial The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States of America as an independent republic. It was a central event ...

. It is currently on loan from the Museum of the American Revolution to

Valley Forge National Historical Park Valley Forge National Historical Park is the site of the third winter encampment of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, taking place from December 19, 1777, to June 19, 1778. The National Park Service preserves the site a ...

. A book was published about Trego's life, ''So Bravely and So Well: The Life and Art of William T. Trego'', by Joseph P. Eckhardt, in 2011.

Collections

Trego's work is represented in many permanent collections including:The American Revolution Center - Collection Timeline
/ref> * ''Illustration for the Century'' - Smithsonian Institution, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum * ''Horse Artillery Going into Battery, Petersburg, Va.'' and ''A Mortar Battery Firing'' - United States Department of the Army, United States Military Academy, West Point Museum * ''Battery of Light Artillery En Route'' - Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts * ''The March to Valley Forge'' (1883) - The American Revolution Center * ''The Chariot Race'' (1908) and ''Civil War Battle Scene'' (1887) - James A. Michener Art Museum * ''Hancock's Corps Assaulting the Works at the "Bloody Angle"'' (1887) - Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum * ''Jonathan K. Trego (1817–1901)'' and ''The Rescue of the Colors'' - Bucks County Historical Society

Exhibitions and awards

, 1879 - ''The Charge of Custer at Winchester'' *

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

, 1882 - Toppan Prize, *

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

, 1883 - Temple Silver Medal, ''The March to Valley Forge'' * Paris Salon, 1889 * Paris Salon, 1890 *

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

, 1893 * Cotton States and International Exposition,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

* American Art Society, Silver Medal, 1902 *

exhibition, New York, 1909 - ''The Chariot Race from Ben Hur'' * James A. Michener Art Museum exhibition,

Doylestown, PA Doylestown is a borough and the county seat of Bucks County in Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northwest of Trenton, north of Center City, Philadelphia, southeast of Allentown, and southwest of New York City. As of the 2020 cen ...

, 2011 - Various works

Gallery

References

External links

James A. Michener Art Museum: Bucks County Artists - William B. T. Trego

SIRIS (Smithsonian Institution Research Information System) - Trego, William Brooke Thomas, 1859-1909, painter

Smithsonian - American Bicentennial Issues: Souvenir Sheets 31c Washington Reviewing Army at Valley Forge sheet of 5

The Reporter - Recognizing fame - Sunday February 10, 2008

The William B.T. Trego Centenary Project

William B. T. Trego Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trego, William B. T. 1859 births 1909 deaths 19th-century American painters 19th-century American male artists American male painters 20th-century American painters Realist painters Military art People from Yardley, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts alumni Académie Julian alumni American history painters Students of Thomas Eakins 20th-century American male artists

Biography

Pennsylvania Academy years

North Wales studio

Paris

Later years

Legacy

Collections

Exhibitions and awards

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links