Benjamin West
American, 1738 - 1820
NationalityBritish
BiographyBenjamin West was born in Springfield, PA, October 10, 1738 and died in London, March 11, 1820.American painter West exerted an important influence on the development of British history painting. Born to a Quaker family in Pennsylvania, he pursued portraiture and history painting in Philadelphia and New York until 1760, when he left America to study in Rome. The positive reception of two neo-classical history paintings at the Society of Artists exhibition in 1766 persuaded him to settle in England, where his scenes of ancient Roman history and myth enjoyed unusual success. He created a sensation in 1771 with The Death of General Wolfe, which depicts a contemporary historical event with figures clothed in contemporary dress, rather than classical drapery. West's successes gained him the patronage of George III and an annual stipend of £1,000. A founding member of the Royal Academy, he became its second president on the death of Joshua Reynolds. As a teacher, West had a significant impact on the course of American painting; his pupils included Gilbert Stuart, Washington Allston, and Thomas Sully.
Person TypeIndividual
American, 1738 - 1815, active in England
Alternative Names: John Singleton Copley
American, 1755 - 1828
Alternative Names: Gilbert Stuart
American, 1805 - 1873
Alternative Names: Hiram Powers
British, 1741-1779
Alternative Names: John Hamilton Mortimer
American, 1850s - 1924
Alternative Names: Arabella (Yarrington) Huntington
British, 1784 - 1818
Alternative Names: Margaret Beckford, later Margaret Orde
British, 1786 - 1859
Alternative Names: Susan Euphemia Beckford, later Duchess of Hamilton
British, 1787-1849
Alternative Names: William Etty
British, 1776-1837
Alternative Names: John Constable
Scottish, 1785 - 1841
Alternative Names: David Wilkie
British, 1732 - 1811
Alternative Names: Richard Cumberland
British, 1755 - 1824
Alternative Names: Jane Fleming, later Countess of Harrington