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 Drawing Electricity from the Sky''. Entirely self-taught, West soon gained valuable patronage and toured Europe, eventually settling in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He impressed King

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

and was largely responsible for the launch of the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

, of which he became the second president (after Sir

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell (art critic), John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy P ...

). He was appointed historical painter to the court and

Surveyor of the King's Pictures The office of the Surveyor of the King's/Queen's Pictures, in the Royal Collection Department of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Sovereign of the United Kingdom, is responsible fo ...

. West also painted religious subjects, as in his huge work ''The Preservation of St Paul after a Shipwreck at Malta'', at the Chapel of St Peter and St Paul at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, and ''Christ Healing the Sick'', presented to the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

Early life

West was born in Springfield, Pennsylvania, in a house that is now in the borough of Swarthmore on the campus of

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the e ...

. He was the tenth child of an innkeeper, John West (1690–1776), and his wife, Sarah Pearson (1697–1756). The family later moved to Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, where his father was the proprietor of the Square Tavern, still standing in that town. West told the novelist John Galt, with whom, late in his life, he collaborated on a memoir, ''The Life and Studies of Benjamin West'' (1816, 1820), that, when he was a child, Native Americans showed him how to make paint by mixing some clay from the river bank with bear grease in a pot. West was an

autodidact Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning, self-study and self-teaching) is the practice of education without the guidance of schoolmasters (i.e., teachers, professors, institutions). Overview Autodi ...

; while excelling at the arts, "he had little ormaleducation and, even when president of the Royal Academy, could scarcely spell". One day, his mother left him alone with his little sister Sally. Benjamin discovered some bottles of ink and began to paint Sally's portrait. When his mother came home, she noticed the painting, picked it up and said, "Why, it's Sally!", and kissed him. Later, he noted, "My mother's kiss made me a painter". He received further art training by the artisan painter William Williams. From 1746 to 1759, West worked in Pennsylvania, mostly painting portraits. While West was in Lancaster in 1756, his patron, a gunsmith named William Henry, encouraged him to paint a ''Death of Socrates'' based on an engraving in Charles Rollin's ''Ancient History.'' His resulting composition, which significantly differs from the source, has been called "the most ambitious and interesting painting produced in colonial America". Dr William Smith, then the provost of the

College of Philadelphia The Academy and College of Philadelphia (1749–1791) was a boys' school and men's college in Philadelphia in the colonial-era Province of Pennsylvania. Founded in 1749 by a group of local notables that included Benjamin Franklin, the Academy of P ...

, saw the painting in Henry's house and decided to become West's patron, offering him education and, more importantly, connections with wealthy and politically connected Pennsylvanians. During this time West met John Wollaston, a famous painter who had immigrated from London. West learned Wollaston's techniques for painting the shimmer of silk and satin, and also adopted some of "his mannerisms, the most prominent of which was to give all his subjects large almond-shaped eyes, which clients thought very chic". West was a close friend of

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

, whose portrait he painted. Franklin was the godfather of West's second son, Benjamin.

Italian tour

Sponsored by Smith and William Allen, then reputed to be the wealthiest man in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, West traveled to Italy in 1760 in the company of the Scot William Patoun, a painter who later became an art collector. In common with many artists, architects, and lovers of the fine arts at that time he conducted a Grand Tour. West expanded his repertoire by copying works of Italian painters such as

Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...

and

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), now generally known in English as Raphael ( , ), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of paintings by Raphael, His work is admired for its cl ...

direct from the originals. In Rome he met a number of international neo-classical artists including German-born Anton Rafael Mengs, Scottish Gavin Hamilton, and Austrian

Angelica Kauffman Maria Anna Angelika Kauffmann ( ; 30 October 1741 – 5 November 1807), usually known in English as Angelica Kauffman, was a Swiss people, Swiss Neoclassicism, Neoclassical painter who had a successful career in London and Rome. Remembered prima ...

England

James Smith - Benjamin West - Google Art Project

In August 1763, West arrived in England,Galt, vol. 2, p. 1 on what he initially intended as a visit on his way back to America. In fact, he never returned to America. He stayed for a month at Bath with William Allen, who was also in the country, and visited his half-brother Thomas West at

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

at the urging of his father. In London he was introduced to Richard Wilson and his student

. He moved into a house in Bedford Street,

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

. The first picture he painted in England, ''Angelica and Medora'', along with the '' Portrait of Robert Monckton'', and his ''Cymon and Iphigenia'', painted in Rome, were shown at the exhibition Society of Artists in Spring Gardens in 1764. In 1765, he married Elizabeth Shewell, an American he engaged in

, at

St Martin-in-the-Fields St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England parish church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. Dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, there has been a church on the site since at least the medieval pe ...

. Dr Markham, then Headmaster of

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

, introduced West to

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

Edmund Burke Edmund Burke (; 12 January ew Style, NS1729 – 9 July 1797) was an Anglo-Irish Politician, statesman, journalist, writer, literary critic, philosopher, and parliamentary orator who is regarded as the founder of the Social philosophy, soc ...

, Thomas Newton, Bishop of Bristol, James Johnson, Bishop of Worcester, and Robert Hay Drummond, Archbishop of York. All three prelates commissioned work from him. In 1766 West proposed a scheme to decorate

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

with paintings. It was rejected by Richard Terrick, the Bishop of London, but his idea of painting an altarpiece for

St Stephen Walbrook St Stephen Walbrook is a church in the City of London, part of the Church of England's Diocese of London. The present domed building was erected to the designs of Sir Christopher Wren following the destruction of its medieval predecessor in the ...

was accepted. At around this time he also received acclaim for his classical subjects, such as ''Orestes and Pylades'' and ''The Continence of Scipio''.Galt, p. 15 West was known in England as the "American Raphael". His Raphaelesque painting of ''Archangel Michael Binding the Devil'' is in the collection of

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

. He said that "Art is the representation of human beauty, ideally perfect in design, graceful and noble in attitude."

Royal patronage

Drummond tried to raise subscriptions to fund an annuity for West, so that he could give up portraiture and devote himself entirely to more ambitious compositions. Having failed in this, he tried—with greater success—to convince King

to patronise West. West was soon on good terms with the king, and the two men conducted long discussions on the state of art in England, including the idea of the establishment of a Royal Academy. The academy came into being in 1768, with West one of the primary leaders of an opposition group formed out of the existing Society of Artists of Great Britain; Joshua Reynolds was its first president. In the same year, he was elected to membership in the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

. In a story related by Henry Angelo I (1756–1835) in his book of reminiscences, the actor

David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1716 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, Actor-manager, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil a ...

, who was a friend of Angelo's father, the Italian sword master Domenico Angelo, memorably sketched for the teenaged Henry the following exchange: one day the painter Francesco Zuccarelli, on one of his visits to Domenico, got into a dispute with his fellow royal academician

Johan Zoffany Johan / Johann Joseph Zoffany (born Johannes Josephus Zaufallij; 13 March 1733 – 11 November 1810) was a German Neoclassicism, neoclassical painter who was active mainly in England, Italy, and India. His works appear in many prominent Briti ...

about the merit of West's 1769 painting '' The Departure of Regulus'', his first commission for the king. Zuccarelli exclaimed, "Here is a painter who promises to rival

Nicolas Poussin Nicolas Poussin (, , ; June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was a French painter who was a leading painter of the classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome. Most of his works were on religious and mythologic ...

", while Zoffany tauntingly replied, "A figo for Poussin, West has already beaten him out of the field." In 1772, King George appointed him historical painter to the court at an annual fee of £1,000. He painted a series of eight large canvases showing episodes from the life of

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

for St George's Hall at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...

, and proposed a cycle of 36 works on the theme of "the progress of revealed religion" for a chapel at the castle, of which 28 were eventually executed. The largest group of paintings (seven) from the series is currently in Greenville, SC. He also painted nine portraits of members of the royal family, including two of the king himself. He was

from 1791 until his death.

''The Death of General Wolfe''

West painted his most famous, and possibly most influential painting, '' The Death of General Wolfe'', in 1770 and it exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1771. The painting became one of the most frequently reproduced images of the period. It returned to the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

setting of his '' General Johnson Saving a Wounded French Officer from the Tomahawk of a North American Indian'' of 1768. When the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

broke out in 1775 he remained ambivalent, and neither spoke out for or against the Revolutionary War in his land of birth. West became known for his large scale

history painting History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and B ...

s, which use expressive figures, colours and compositional schemes to help the spectator to identify with the scene represented. West called this "

epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

representation". His 1778 work '' The Battle of the Boyne'' portrayed William of Orange's victory at the

Battle of the Boyne The Battle of the Boyne ( ) took place in 1690 between the forces of the deposed King James II, and those of King William III who, with his wife Queen Mary II (his cousin and James's daughter), had acceded to the Crowns of England and Sc ...

in 1690, and strongly influenced subsequent images of William. In 1806 he produced '' The Death of Nelson'', to commemorate

Horatio Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

's death at the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement that took place on 21 October 1805 between the Royal Navy and a combined fleet of the French Navy, French and Spanish Navy, Spanish navies during the War of the Third Coalition. As part of Na ...

Later religious painting

St Paul's Church, in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, has an important enamelled

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

east window made in 1791 by Francis Eginton, modelled on an

altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...

painted by West, now in the Dallas Museum of Art. It shows the Conversion of Paul. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

in 1791. West is also well known for his huge work in the Chapel of St Peter and St Paul which now forms part of the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London. His work, ''The Preservation of St Paul after a Shipwreck at Malta'', measures and illustrates the Acts of the Apostles: 27 & 28. West also provided the designs for the other paintings executed by Biagio Rebecca in the chapel. Following a loss of royal patronage at the beginning of the 19th century, West began a series of large-scale religious works. The first, ''Christ Healing the Sick'' was originally intended as a gift to

Pennsylvania Hospital Pennsylvania Hospital is a Private hospital, private, non-profit, 515-bed teaching hospital located at 800 Spruce Street (Philadelphia), Spruce Street in Center City, Philadelphia, Center City Philadelphia, The hospital was founded on May 11, 17 ...

in Philadelphia; instead he sold it to the

British Institution The British Institution (in full, the British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom; founded 1805, disbanded 1867) was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it ...

for £3,000, which in turn presented it to the

. West then made a copy to send to Philadelphia. The success of the picture led him to paint a series of even larger works, including his '' Death on the Pale Horse'', exhibited in 1817.

Royal Academy

The Royal Academicians in General Assembly

Though initially snubbed by Sir Joshua Reynolds, founding President of the Royal Academy, and by some other Academicians who felt he was over-ambitious, West was elected President of the Royal Academy on the death of Reynolds in 1792. During his time as president, he fell victim to the Venetian secret, a scandal involving a supposedly secret set of materials and techniques used by Renaissance painters in Venice. He resigned in 1805, to be replaced by a fierce rival, architect

James Wyatt James Wyatt (3 August 1746 – 4 September 1813) was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the Neoclassicism, neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles. He was elected to the Royal Academy of Arts in 1785 and was its president from 1805 to ...

. However West was again elected president the following year, and served until his death. In 1810 West was painted by his future successor

Thomas Lawrence Sir Thomas Lawrence (13 April 1769 – 7 January 1830) was an English people, English portrait painter and the fourth president of the Royal Academy. A child prodigy, he was born in Bristol and began drawing in Devizes, where his father was a ...

as president of the Royal Academy and the '' Portrait of Benjamin West'' was exhibited at the 1811 Summer Exhibition.

Pupils

Many American artists studied under him in London, including Ralph Earl and later his son, Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl,

Samuel Morse Samuel Finley Breese Morse (April 27, 1791 – April 2, 1872) was an American inventor and painter. After establishing his reputation as a portrait painter, Morse, in his middle age, contributed to the invention of a Electrical telegraph#Morse ...

Robert Fulton Robert Fulton (November 14, 1765 – February 24, 1815) was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first commercially successful steamboat, the (also known as ''Clermont''). In 1807, that steamboat ...

Charles Willson Peale Charles Willson Peale (April 15, 1741 – February 22, 1827) was an American painter, military officer, scientist, and naturalist. In 1775, inspired by the American Revolution, Peale moved from his native Maryland to Philadelphia, where he set ...

Rembrandt Peale Rembrandt Peale (February 22, 1778 – October 3, 1860) was an American artist and museum keeper. A prolific portrait painter, he was especially acclaimed for his likenesses of presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Peale's style wa ...

, Matthew Pratt,

Gilbert Stuart Gilbert Stuart ( Stewart; December 3, 1755 – July 9, 1828) was an American painter born in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Rhode Island Colony who is widely considered one of America's foremost portraitists. His best-k ...

John Trumbull John Trumbull (June 6, 1756 – November 10, 1843) was an American painter and military officer best known for his historical paintings of the American Revolutionary War, of which he was a veteran. He has been called the "Painter of the Revolut ...

, Samuel Lovett Waldo, Washington Allston,

Thomas Sully Thomas Sully (June 19, 1783November 5, 1872) was an English-American portrait painter. He was born in England, became a naturalized American citizen in 1809, and lived most of his life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, including in the Thomas Sull ...

John Green John Michael Green (born August 24, 1977) is an American author and YouTuber. His books have more than 50 million copies in print worldwide, including ''The Fault in Our Stars'' (2012), which is one of the List of best-selling books#Bet ...

, and Abraham Delanoy.

Death

West died at his house in Newman Street in

, on March 11, 1820, and was buried in

. He had been offered a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

hood by the British Crown, but declined it, believing that he should instead be made a peer.

Gallery

File:Robert Moncton Martinique.jpg, '' Portrait of Robert Monckton'', 1763 File:Benjamin West - Mary Hopkinson - 1926.6.1 - Smithsonian American Art Museum.jpg, ''Mrs Mary (Hopkinson) Morgan'', 1764 File:Benjamin West - Pylades and Orestes Brought as Victims before Iphigenia - Google Art Project.jpg, ''

Pylades In Greek mythology, Pylades (; Ancient Greek: Πυλάδης) was a Phocis (ancient region), Phocian prince as the son of King Strophius and Anaxibia who is the daughter of Atreus and sister of Agamemnon and Menelaus. He is mostly known for his ...

and

Orestes In Greek mythology, Orestes or Orestis (; ) was the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, and the brother of Electra and Iphigenia. He was also known by the patronymic Agamemnonides (), meaning "son of Agamemnon." He is the subject of several ...

Brought as Victims before Iphigenia'', 1766 File:Benjamin West - Agrippina Landing at Brundisium with the Ashes of Germanicu - 1947.16 - Yale University Art Gallery.jpg, '' Agrippina Landing at Brundisium with the Ashes of Germanicus'', 1768 File:Benjamin West - Cleombrotus Ordered into Banishment by Leonidas II, King of Sparta - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Cleombrotus Ordered into Banishment by Leonidas II, King of Sparta'', 1768 File:Benjamin West (1738-1820) - The Departure of Regulus - RCIN 405416 - Royal Collection.jpg, '' The Departure of Regulus'', 1769 File:Francis Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds by Benjamin West.jpg, ''Portrait of the Duke of Leeds'', 1769 File:Benjamin West (1738-1820) - The Oath of Hannibal - RCIN 405417 - Royal Collection.jpg, '' The Oath of Hannibal'', 1770 File:Treaty of Penn with Indians by Benjamin West.jpg, '' Penn's Treaty with the Indians'', 1772 File:Benjamin West (1738-1820) - The Death of Chevalier Bayard - RCIN 407525 - Royal Collection.jpg, '' The Death of Chevalier Bayard'', 1772 File:Erasistratus the Physician Discovers the Love of Antiochus for Stratonice - Benjamin West - Google Cultural Institute.jpg, ''Erasistratus the Physician Discovers the Love of Antiochus for Stratonice'', 1772 File:Benjamin West (1738-1820) - Sir Joseph Banks (1743–1820), 1st Bt, GCB, PRS - LCNUG 1989.9 - Usher Gallery.jpg, ''

Portrait of Joseph Banks ''Portrait of Joseph Banks'' is a portrait painting by the British artist Joshua Reynolds of the botanist and President of the Royal Society Joseph Banks. Banks had gained fame for his part in the explorer James Cook's First voyage of James Cook, ...

'', 1772 File:Benjamin West (1738-1820) - The Wife of Arminius brought captive to Germanicus - RCIN 405683 - Royal Collection.jpg, '' The Wife of Arminius Brought Captive to Germanicus'', 1773 File:Benjamin West - Isaac's servant tying the bracelet on Rebecca's arm - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Isaac's Servant Tying the Bracelet on Rebecca's Arm'', 1775 File:Benjamin West - Helen Brought to Paris - Google Art Project.jpg, '' Helen Brought to Paris'', 1776 File:Sheridan family, Benjamin West.jpg, ''The Sheridan Family'', 1776 File:Benjamin West (1738-1820) - George IV, when Prince of Wales, with Frederick, Duke of York, when Prince Frederick - RCIN 403399 - Royal Collection.jpg, ''The Prince of Wales and Duke of York'', 1777 File:1777, West, Benjamin, Two Officers and a Groom in a Landscape.jpg, ''Two Officers and a Groom in a Landscape'', 1777, Princeton University Art Museum File:Benjamin West, The Battle of La Hogue, c. 1778, NGA 45885.jpg, '' The Battle of La Hogue'', ,

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art is an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was privately established in ...

File:William III at the Battle of the Boyne.jpg, '' The Battle of the Boyne'', 1778 File:Benjamin West - The Death of Chatham - Google Art Project.jpg, ''The Death of Chatham'', 1778 File:Benjamin West (1738-1820) - George III (1738-1820) - RCIN 405407 - Royal Collection.jpg, '' Portrait of George III'', 1779 File:Benjamin West (1738-1820) - Queen Charlotte (1744-1818) - RCIN 405405 - Royal Collection.jpg, '' Portrait of Queen Charlotte'', 1779 File:Oliver Cromwell Dissolving the Long Parliament.png, '' Oliver Cromwell Dissolving the Long Parliament'', 1782 File:General Monck Receiving Charles II on the Beaches of Dover (Benjamin West).png, ''General Monck Receiving Charles II on the Beaches of Dover'', 1782 File:Treaty of Paris by Benjamin West 1783.jpg, '' Treaty of Paris'' depicts the American delegation at the 1783 Treaty of Paris. The British delegation refused to pose, and the painting was never completed, . File:Dr Richard Price, DD, FRS - Benjamin West.jpg, Welsh moral philosopher

Richard Price Richard Price (23 February 1723 – 19 April 1791) was a British moral philosopher, Nonconformist minister and mathematician. He was also a political reformer and pamphleteer, active in radical, republican, and liberal causes such as the F ...

, 1784 File:Benjamin West - Alexander III of Scotland Rescued from the Fury of a Stag by the Intrepidity of Colin Fitzgerald ('The Death of the Stag') - Google Art Project.jpg, '' Alexander III of Scotland Rescued from the Fury of a Stag by the Intrepidity of Colin Fitzgerald'', 1786 File:Benjamin West (1738-1820) - The Institution of the Order of the Garter - RCIN 407521 - Royal Collection.jpg, '' The Institution of the Order of the Garter'', 1787 File:Benjamin West King Lear Act III scene 4.jpg, '' King Lear in the Storm'', 1788 File:Benjamin West (1738-1820) - Edward III with the Black Prince after the Battle of Crécy - RCIN 407523 - Royal Collection.jpg, ''Edward III with the Black Prince after the Battle of Crécy'', 1788 File:Benjamin West (1738-1820) - Edward, The Black Prince, receiving King John of France after the Battle of Poitiers - RCIN 407522 - Royal Collection.jpg, ''Edward, The Black Prince, receiving King John of France after the Battle of Poitiers'', 1788 File:Benjamin West - Edward III Crossing the Somme - WGA25552.jpg, '' Edward III Crossing the Somme'', 1788 File:Benjamin West (1738-1820) - Queen Philippa at the Battle of Neville's Cross - RCIN 404926 - Royal Collection.jpg, '' Queen Philippa at the Battle of Neville's Cross'', 1789 File:The Burghers of Calais 1789 Benjamin West.jpg, ''The Burghers of Calais'', 1789 File:King Lear and Cordelia (West, 1793).jpg, ''King Lear and Cordelia'', 1793 File:Benjamin West - Gentlemen Fishing - Google Art Project.jpg, '' Gentlemen Fishing'', 1794 File:West, Benjamin - Woodcutters in Windsor Park - Google Art Project.jpg, '' Woodcutters in Windsor Park'', 1795 File:Harvesting at Windsor by Benjamin West, PRA.jpg, ''Harvesting at Windsor'', 1795 File:'Musidora and Her Two Companions, Sacharissa and Amoret, at Their Bath Espied by Damon' by Benjamin West.jpg, ''Musidora and Her Two Companions'', 1795 File:Benjamin West, Maria Hamilton Beckford (Mrs. William Beckford), 1799, NGA 34071.jpg, ''Portrait of Maria Beckford'', 1799 File:Benjamin West - Joshua passing the River Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Joshua passing the River Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant'', 1800 File:Benjamin West - Milkmaids in St. James's Park, Westminster Abbey Beyond - B2014.2 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg, ''Milkmaids in St. James's Park'', 1801 File:Robert Fulton, 1806, London, England, painted by Benjamin West, American, 1738-1820 Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, N.Y. N0218.1961.jpg, '' Portrait of Robert Fulton'', 1806 File:Benjamin West - The Death of Nelson - Google Art Project.jpg, '' The Death of Nelson'', 1806 File:Benjamin West - Cupid and Psyche - 2010.44 - Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.jpg, '' Cupid and Psyche'', 1808 File:Benjamin west omnia vincit amor 1809.jpg, ''Omnia Vincit Amor'', 1809 File:Reception of the American Loyalists.jpg, '' Reception of the American Loyalists by Great Britain in the Year 1783'', , engraving by Henry Moses of the now-lost original File:Study for Christ Rejected.pdf, '' Christ Rejected, Study'', 1811, Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY File:Benjamin West - John Eardley Wilmot - Google Art Project.jpg, ''

John Eardley Wilmot Sir John Eardley Wilmot Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC Serjeant-at-Law, SL (16 August 17095 February 1792) was an England, English judge, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1766 to 1771. Family and early life Wilmot was th ...

'', 1812, with a replica of the ''Reception of the American Loyalists'' in the background File:Benjamin West, English (born America) - Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky - Google Art Project.jpg, '' Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky'', 1816 File:Shah 'Alam conveying the grant of the Diwani to Lord Clive.jpg, ''The signing of the Treaty of Allahabad, 1765, between the British Governor of Bengal

Robert Clive Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, (29 September 1725 – 22 November 1774), also known as Clive of India, was the first British List of governors of Bengal Presidency, Governor of the Bengal Presidency. Clive has been widely credited for l ...

and Mughal Emperor

Shah Alam Shah Alam (, from Persian language, Persian, meaning "king of the world") is a city and the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia which is situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighbouring Klang District. Shah Alam rep ...

'', 1818,

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

File:Benjamin West - Self-Portrait - Google Art Project.jpg, Self-portrait, 1819

Works

* ''John Sedley''
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* ''Portrait of a Gentleman''
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* ''Presentation of the Queen of Sheba at the Court of King Solomon''
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* ''The Envoys Returning from the Promised Land''
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Sources

* * * * * * * Reprinted in ''America's Old Masters'' (New York, 1967), pp. 315–40. * *

References

External links

* *

Overview of an archival collection on Benjamin West.

Loyd Grossman talking about West's work
Union List of Artist Names, Getty Vocabularies.
ULAN Full Record Display for Benjamin West. Getty Vocabulary Program,

Getty Research Institute The Getty Research Institute (GRI), located at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, is "dedicated to furthering knowledge and advancing understanding of the visual arts".

. Los Angeles, California. * Th
Benjamin West Drawings Collection
including 33 of his drawings and sketches, is available for research use at the

Historical Society of Pennsylvania The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a historic research facility headquartered on Locust Street in Center City Philadelphia. It is a repository for millions of historic items ranging across rare books, scholarly monographs, family chron ...

.
Documenting the Gilded Age: New York City Exhibitions at the Turn of the 20th Century
. A New York Art Resources Consortium project. Annotations and a pencil sketch of a West painting in an exhibition catalog. * . {{DEFAULTSORT:West, Benjamin 18th-century American painters 18th-century American male artists American male painters 19th-century American painters 18th-century English painters English male painters 19th-century English painters Royal Academicians 1738 births 1820 deaths Surveyors of the King's Pictures American history painters Artists from Delaware County, Pennsylvania People from colonial Pennsylvania American portrait painters Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 19th-century American male artists 19th-century English male artists Burials at St Paul's Cathedral 18th-century English male artists Members of the American Philosophical Society