Charles Bird King

Charles Bird King
Self-portrait, aged 70
Born	September 26, 1785 Newport, Aquidneck Island, Newport County, Rhode Island
Died	March 18, 1862 (aged 76) Washington D.C.
Nationality	American
Education	Edward Savage in New York, and Benjamin West at the Royal Academy in London
Known for	Painting, including Portraiture, Still Life, and Genre
Notable work	Native American portraiture commissioned by the United States Government from 1822-1842
Patron(s)	John Quincy Adams, John Calhoun, Henry Clay, James Monroe, Daniel Webster and William Henry Tayloe

Charles Bird King (September 26, 1785 – March 18, 1862) was an American portrait artist, best known for his portrayals of significant Native American leaders and tribesmen.

Charles Bird King was born in Newport, Rhode Island, the only child of Deborah Bird and American Revolutionary veteran Captain Zebulon King. The family traveled west, but when King was four years old, his father was killed and scalped by Native Americans near Marietta, Ohio . Because of the horrible death of his father, Charles and his mother moved back to Newport.

When King was fifteen, he went to New York to study under the portrait painter Edward Savage. At age twenty he moved to London to study under the famous painter Benjamin West at the esteemed Royal Academy. King returned to the U.S. due to the War of 1812 after a seven-year stay in London, and spent time working in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Richmond.

He eventually settled in Washington, due to the economic appeal of the burgeoning city. In the nation’s new capital, the artist earned a solid reputation as a portraitist among politicians, and earned enough to maintain his own studio and gallery. King’s economic success in the art world, particularly in the field of portraiture, can be attributed to his ability to socialize with the wealthy celebrities, and relate to the well-educated politicians of the time: "His industry and simple habits enabled him to acquire a handsome competence, and his amiable and exemplary character won him many friends". These patrons included John Quincy Adams, John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, James Monroe, and Daniel Webster. King’s popularity and steady stream of work left him with little reason or need to leave Washington. In 1827 he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Honorary Academician. Despite his wealth and societal standing, the artist never married, and lived in Washington until his death on March 18, 1862. Upon his death, he bequeathed his collection of paintings, books, and prints to the Redwood Library and Athenaeum.