In this letter, Benjamin West, Jr. writes to his father's student and artist John Trumbull. Transcribe its contents to learn more about the ways the works of the senior West continued to be viewed after his death.
In this letter, Benjamin West, Jr. writes to his father's student and artist John Trumbull. Transcribe its contents to learn more about the ways the works of the senior West continued to be viewed after his death.
Benjamin West (1738-1820) was an artist that painted works around and after the time of the American War of Independence (Revolutionary War). A close friend of Benjamin Franklin and with royal patrons, West became second president of the Royal Academy of Arts. He also served as Surveyor of the King's Pictures for King George III. In addition to his well-known works, such as The Death of General Wolfe (1770), West also painted images of his wife and sons Raphael and Benjamin, Jr. This letter from Benjamin, Jr.is one of nine letters written by various artists and addressed to John Trumbull; each gathered by Charles Henry Hart.
Contained within Charles Henry Hart's collections of "autographs" (1731-1912), these pieces have been digitized and held at the Archives of American Art. Transcribe more correspondence from Charles Henry Hart's collection here – and view related materials at the Archives of American Art.
