Mather Brown (baptized 11 October 1761 – 25 May 1831) was an American painter who was born in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Massachusetts and was active in England.

Early life and education

Brown was the son of Gawen and Elizabeth (Byles) Brown, and descended from the Rev.

Increase Mather Increase Mather (; June 21, 1639 Old Style – August 23, 1723 Old Style) was a History of New England, New England Puritan clergyman in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the sixth President of Harvard University, President of Harvard College (la ...

on his mother's side. He was taught by his aunt and around 1773 (age 12) became a pupil of

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 ...

. He arrived 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 ...

in 1781 to further his training in

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 (West painting), The Death of Nelson'', ''The Death of General Wolfe'', the ''Treaty of Paris ( ...

's studio, entered 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 ...

schools in 1782 with plans to be a miniature painter, and began to exhibit a year later.

Painting career

In 1784, he painted two religious paintings for the church of St. Mary's-in-the-Strand, which led Brown to found a partnership with the painter

Daniel Orme Daniel Orme (25 August 1766 – 8 February 1837) was an English artist, publisher, and official Historical Engraver to George III and the Prince of Wales, the future George IV. Early life Orme was born in Manchester in 1766, the second of six ...

for the commercialization of these and other works through exhibition and the sale of

engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design on a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a Burin (engraving), burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or Glass engraving, glass ar ...

s. Among these were large paintings of scenes from English history, as well as scenes from

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's plays. However, despite their success he began to concentrate on portraiture. His first successes were with American sitters, among others his patron

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

and family in 1784–85; this painting is now in the

Boston Athenæum The Boston Athenaeum is one of the oldest independent libraries in the United States. It is also one of a number of membership libraries, for which patrons pay a yearly subscription fee to use Athenaeum services. The institution was founded in ...

. In the spring of 1786, he began painting the earliest known portrait of

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

, who was visiting London. He also painted

Charles Bulfinch Charles Bulfinch (August 8, 1763 – April 15, 1844) was an early American architect, and has been regarded by many as the first American-born professional architect to practice.Baltzell, Edward Digby. ''Puritan Boston & Quaker Philadelphia''. Tra ...

the same year. 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 1798. His 1788 full-length portrait of Prince Frederick Augustus in the uniform of Colonel of the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

led to appointment as History and Portrait Painter to the Prince, later the

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of List of English monarchs, English (later List of British monarchs, British) monarchs ...

and Albany. Other paintings include the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

, later

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...

(about 1789), Queen Charlotte, and Cornwallis. A

self-portrait Self-portraits are Portrait painting, portraits artists make of themselves. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, the practice of self-portraiture only gaining momentum in the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century ...

now belongs to the American Antiquarian Society,

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

Later life and death

A falling off patronage in the mid-1790s, and failure to be elected to the

, led Brown to leave London in 1808 for

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, and

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

. He settled in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, returning to London almost two decades later, in 1824, where, even after West's death, he continued to imitate his teacher's style of painting. Unable to secure commissions, Brown eventually died in poverty in London.

Gallery

File:John Singleton Copley - Portrait of Mrs. Gawen Brown - Google Art Project.jpg, alt=1763 portrait by John Singleton Copley of Elizabeth Byles Brown, Mather Brown's mother, 1763 portrait by

John Singleton Copley John Singleton Copley (July 3, 1738 – September 9, 1815) was an Anglo-American painter, active in both colonial America and England. He was believed to be born in Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay, to Richard and Mary Singleton Copley ...

of Elizabeth Byles Brown, Mather Brown's mother File:Brown - Anne Watts, wife of the 11th Earl of Cassillis.jpg, Anne Watts, wife of the 11th Earl of Cassillis File:11th Earl Of Cassilis.jpg, Portrait of 11th Earl Of Cassilis File:JohnAdams.png, Portrait of

1785 File:Mather Brown - Thomas Jefferson - Google Art Project.jpg, '' Portrait of Thomas Jefferson'' while in London in 1786 File:Mather Brown - Portrait of Major John Norton as Mohawk Chief Teyoninhokarawen - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Portrait of Major John Norton as Mohawk Chief Teyoninhokarawen'' by Mather Brown, ca. 1805. Yale Center for British Art File:Col. William Stephen Smith by Mather Brown, 1786.jpg, Portrait of William Stephen Smith 1786 Abigail Adams Smith by Mather Brown, 1785.jpg, Portrait of Abigail (Adams) Smith 1785 File:William Franklin painting attributed to Mather Brown.jpg, Portrait of William Franklin File:Chevalier de Saint-Georges.JPG, Portrait of virtuoso violinist and champion fencer

Chevalier de Saint-Georges Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George(s) (; ; 25 December 17459 June 1799) was a French violinist, conducting, conductor, composer and soldier. Moreover, he demonstrated excellence as a Fencing, fencer, an athlete and an accomplished dancer. ...

in 1787 File:Henry Angelo by Mather Brown.jpg, '' Portrait of Henry Angelo'', 1790 File:General George Eliott MET DT5671.jpg, General George Eliott, 1790 File:Louis XVI Saying Farewell to His Family.jpg, '' Louis XVI Saying Farewell to His Family'', 1793 File:Lord Howe on the deck of HMS Queen Charlotte 1 June 1794.jpg, '' Lord Howe on the Deck of the Queen Charlotte'', 1794 File:Mather Brown - Battle of the Nile.jpg, '' The Battle of the Nile'', 1825

References

Sources

* Evans, Dorinda, ''Mather Brown: Early American Artist in England''. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan, 1982.

External links

*
Union List of Artist Names, Getty Vocabularies.
ULAN Full Record Display for Mather Brown. Getty Vocabulary Program, Getty Research Institute. Los Angeles, California. {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Mather 1761 births 1831 deaths 18th-century American painters 18th-century American male artists American male painters 19th-century American painters American history painters American portrait painters Artists from Boston Alumni of the Royal Academy Schools Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 18th-century English painters English male painters 19th-century English painters English portrait painters American emigrants to England American people of English descent 19th-century American male artists 19th-century English male artists 18th-century English male artists