Theodore Russel Davis (1840–1894) was a 19th-century American artist, who made numerous eye-witness drawings of significant military and political events during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and its aftermath.

Early years

As a child, Theodore R. Davis was taken to Washington, D.C., where he graduated from Rittenhouse Academy. At age fifteen, he moved to

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York. In New York City he studied

illustration An illustration is a decoration, interpretation, or visual explanation of a text, concept, or process, designed for integration in print and digitally published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vi ...

art with Henry Walker Herrick (1824–1906) and received informal training from James Walker (1819–1889), who acquired prominence as a military painter after the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

.Davis, Theodore (artist). In Holsinger, M. Paul
''War and American Popular Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia.''
Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 1999.

War

After the beginning of the

, Davis was hired by '' Harpers Weekly'' in 1861 as a special artist to sketch the war events. Before the actual fighting erupted, he managed to visit the ''South'' pretending working for ''

The Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'', founded by Herbert Ingram and first published on Saturday 14 May 1842, was the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. The magazine was published weekly for most of its existence, switched to a less freq ...

,'' with

William Howard Russell Sir William Howard Russell, (28 March 182710 February 1907) was an Irish reporter with ''The Times'', and is considered to have been one of the first modern war correspondents. He spent 22 months covering the Crimean War, including the Sie ...

, a British correspondent, and made sketches of life in Charleston, Savannah, Montgomery, Pensacola, and New Orleans. Throughout the war, he traveled extensively the eastern and western theaters documenting the

Battle of Port Royal The Battle of Port Royal was one of the earliest amphibious operations of the American Civil War, in which a United States Navy fleet and United States Army expeditionary force captured Port Royal Sound, South Carolina, between Savannah, Geo ...

, the fight between the ''Monitor'' and the ''Merrimac,'' the

Siege of Corinth The siege of Corinth, also known as the first battle of Corinth, was an American Civil War engagement lasting from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi. A collection of Union forces under the overall command of Major General Henry H ...

and the

Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed th ...

, among others. He was with the Union forces during the battles of Antietam and Chickamauga and took part in Sherman's March to the Sea.Theodore Russel Davis, an essay by Estill Curtis Pennington. In Kelly, James C
''South on Paper: Line, Color, and Light.''
Univ. of South Carolina Press, 2000. His first war illustration was published in ''Harper's Weekly'' in May 1861; altogether he submitted 252 drawings. Some of these drawings include the Battle of Champion Hill, and the most significant sketch of General

Joseph E. Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was an American military officer who served in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and the Seminole Wars. After Virginia declared secession from ...

and General

William T. Sherman William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...

meeting at the Bennett Farm near Durham Station to discuss the surrender terms of the remaining

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

armies in the Southeast. During the war, Theodore Davis was injured several times, and once a bullet ripped his sketchbook out of his hands. He wrote in ''How A Battle Is Sketched'', Gen. John A. Logan said, "Unquestionably Mr. Davis saw more of the war than any other single person."

Post-war

After the Civil War, Theodore Davis spent a short time illustrating

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

activities in the ''South'' and traveled with Generals

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 the United States Military Academy at West Point ...

, and

Winfield Scott Hancock Winfield Scott Hancock (February 14, 1824 – February 9, 1886) was a United States Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service ...

during their campaigns against the Indians in the West. When the Atlanta Cyclorama in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, Georgia was being painted, Davis was asked for ideas stemming from his travels with Sherman's army; he was added to the painting. He worked with panoramic painters such as Friedrich Wilhelm Heine and August Lohr on larger projects. Davis was an early tourist to the

Adirondack Mountains The Adirondack Mountains ( ) are a massif of mountains in Northeastern New York which form a circular dome approximately wide and covering about . The region contains more than 100 peaks, including Mount Marcy, which is the highest point in Ne ...

, where he took an interest in mountaineering. He made the earliest recorded ascent of Santanoni Peak along with guide Dave Hunter in 1866. Davis was chosen to create china dinnerware for First Lady

Lucy Hayes Lucy Ware Hayes (née Webb; August 28, 1831 – June 25, 1889) was the wife of President Rutherford B. Hayes and served as first lady of the United States from 1877 to 1881. Hayes was the first First Lady to have a college degree. She was als ...

, wife of president

Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was the 19th president of the United States, serving from 1877 to 1881. Hayes served as Cincinnati's city solicitor from 1858 to 1861. He was a staunch Abolitionism in the Un ...

. Davis suggested using American flora and fauna and produced 130 designs of animals, plants, and scenic views. At the time the cost for the order came out to $3,150. A guest named Clover Adams, a Washington, D.C. socialite, famously observed that when she dined at the White House, she could hardly eat her soup peacefully from a Davis-designed plate as she had to watch a coyote leaping from behind the tree.White House China Service
/ref> Theodore R. Davis death resulted from

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine. It was frequently accompanied ...

; he died at

Asbury Park, New Jersey Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 15,188, a decr ...

, aged fifty-four.

Selection of wood engravings from ''Harper's Weekly''

Image:Vicksburg Blockade Rams - Civil War 1863 - Switzerland and USS Lancaster in the rear.jpg, USS ''Lancaster'' follows her sister ship ''Switzerland'' past the Vicksburg batteries, 25 March 1863 Image:Attack on the Enemy's Centre, Near Marietta, Georgia.jpg, '' Attack on the Enemy's Centre, Near Marietta, Georgia'', 1864 Image:Charge of Weaver's Brigade Across the Salkehatchie.jpg, '' Charge of Weaver's Brigade Across the Salkehatchie'', 1865 Image:Battle of Champion Hill.png, Davis' drawing of the Battle of Champion Hill. Image:Battle of Milliken's Bend.jpg, Battle of Milliken's Bend Image:Andrew Johnson impeachment trial.jpg, '' Andrew Johnson's Impeachment Trial in the Senate'', 1868

China design

File:Hayes presidential china dinner plate 1877.jpg, Dinner plate designed for

File:Seafood Salad Plate, illustrated by Theodore Davis, Haviland & Co., United States, 1880, porcelain - Portland Museum of Art - Portland, Maine - DSC04220.jpg, Seafood salad plate

References

External links

Biography of Theodore Russel Davis
''Museum of Wisconsin Art, West Bend, Wisconsin''
White House China Service

Fascinating First Ladies' & Fascinating Facts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Theodore R 1840 births 1894 deaths American artists Harper's Weekly artists