Thomas Prichard Rossiter (1818–1871) was an American artist born in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

. Known for his portraits and paintings of historical scenes, he later came to be associated with the

Hudson River School The Hudson River School was a mid-19th-century American art movement embodied by a group of landscape painters whose aesthetic vision was influenced by Romanticism. Early on, the paintings typically depicted the Hudson River Valley and the sur ...

of artists.

Life and career

Rossiter was born in

in 1818, where he later attended

Hopkins School Hopkins School is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational, day school for grades 7–12 located in New Haven, Connecticut. In 1660, Edward Hopkins, seven-time governor of the Connecticut Colony, bequeathed a portion of his estate to fou ...

. He first studied painting with John Boyd, and later with Nathaniel Jocelyn. In 1838, he exhibited two paintings at the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Frederick Styles Agate, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, an ...

; the following year he moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and opened a studio. In 1840 he traveled in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

with Asher B. Durand, John Kensett, and

John William Casilear John William Casilear (June 25, 1811 – August 17, 1893) was an American landscape artist belonging to the Hudson River School. Biography Casilear was born in New York City. His first professional training was under prominent New York engraver ...

. While there, he visited

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

with

Thomas Cole Thomas Cole (February 1, 1801 – February 11, 1848) was an English-born American artist and the founder of the Hudson River School art movement. Cole is widely regarded as the first significant American landscape painter. He was known for hi ...

, and decided to stay in Italy. In 1846, he returned to New York City and shared a studio with Kensett and

Louis Lang Louis Lang (29 February 1812 – 6 May 1893) was a German-American painter. Biography He was born as ''Joseph Aloysius Lang'' in Bad Waldsee, Waldsee, Kingdom of Württemberg. His father, a historical painter, wished him to become a musician, b ...

. In 1849, Rossiter was elected to the

National Academy A national academy is an organizational body, usually operating with state financial support and approval, that co-ordinates scholarly research activities and standards for academic disciplines, and serves as a public policy advisors, research ...

. In 1851, he married Anna Ehrick Parmly. They toured Europe in 1853, settling in Paris where Anna gave birth to twins Ehrick Kensett and Charlotte. Rossiter kept a studio in Paris from 1853 to 1856, winning a gold medal at the

Universal Exposition A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...

of 1855 for his ''Venice in the Fifteenth Century''. Anna died shortly after the birth of their daughter Anna, and the family moved back to New York. For a brief period of time Rossiter had an art gallery, exhibiting his work and the work of his friends. In 1857, he began several large compositions depicting scenes from early American history, including ''Washington and Lafayette at Mount Vernon'', ''Washington and His First Cabinet'', and ''George Washington and Family''. As part of his research for the works, Rossiter visited

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...

in June 1858, and soon afterward published an article on Washington's life and the state of his Mount Vernon estate. He wrote of his sadness to see the deteriorated state of the buildings and grounds, and urged the restoration of the mansion and furniture to the condition that Washington left them. In 1860, Rossiter married Mary (Mollie) Sterling and moved his family to

Cold Spring, New York Cold Spring is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the town of Philipstown, New York, Philipstown in Putnam County, New York, United States. The population was 1,986 at the 2020 census. It borders the smaller village of Ne ...

on the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

. He designed a house, Fair Lawn, overlooking the

. It is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. He continued to paint portraits, historical, and religious paintings, and exhibited at the National Academy of Design and the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1805, it is the longest continuously operating art museum and art school in the United States. The academy's museum ...

, until his death in 1871.

Works

Among his best-known paintings are: * ''Muses and Graces'' (1859),

New Britain Museum of American Art The New Britain Museum of American Art is an art museum in New Britain, Connecticut. Founded in 1903, it is the first museum in the country dedicated to American art. A total of 72,000 visits were made to the museum in the year ending June 30, 20 ...

* ''Signing of the Constitution'' (ca 1860-1870), hosted at

Independence National Historical Park Independence National Historical Park is a federally protected historic district in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that preserves several sites associated with the American Revolution and the nation's founding history. Administered by the National ...

* ''Jews in Captivity'' * ''The Wise and Foolish Virgins'' * ''The Home of Washington'' (1858), painted together with Mignot. * ''Washington's First Cabinet'' * ''The Last Hours of

Tasso TASSO (Two Arm Spectrometer SOlenoid) was a particle detector at the PETRA particle accelerator at the German national laboratory DESY. The TASSO collaboration is best known for having discovered the gluon, the mediator of the strong interaction an ...

'' * ''Spilt Milk''

References

Sources

External links

* Painting
''Washington and Lafayette at Mount Vernon'', 1784 (The Home of Washington after the War)
Metropolitan Museum of Art {{DEFAULTSORT:Rossiter, Thomas Prichard 19th-century American painters 19th-century American male artists American male painters Painters from Connecticut 1818 births 1871 deaths Artists from New Haven, Connecticut Painters from New York (state) National Academy of Design members Hudson River School painters