George M. Ottinger

George Martin Ottinger (1833–1917) was a 19th-century artist, educator and actor in Utah Territory.

Ottinger was born in Springfield Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and then raised in New York City. He was raised as a Quaker. At age 17 (in 1850), he joined the crew of a whaling ship. By age 20 he had circumnavigated the globe and done gold digging in California. He then studied art under Robert Weir for a time before going to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. For the next two years, Ottinger worked as a painter of miniatures in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He then moved to Kentucky where he worked as a photograph tinter as well as a fruit merchant.

Ottinger joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in 1858 after which he came to Utah Territory in 1861. He formed a partnership with the photographer Charles Roscoe Savage. There was so little demand for their work in Salt Lake City that for part of 1861 they traveled through Idaho Territory doing jobs related to photography. Ottinger also did scenery painting for the Salt Lake Theatre as well as acting. In 1863, he became principal of the Deseret Academy of Arts, which was also a joint venture with Savage.

In 1861, Ottinger married Mary Jane McAllister Cullin. They only had one child before she died. In 1864, he married Phoebe Neslen.

In 1867, Ottinger began painting a series on the Spanish conquest of the Americas beginning with "The Last of the Aztecs". In 1879, Ottinger went with Savage as an art missionary to learn artistic skills in Europe. On his return, he did murals in the St. George, Logan and Manti Temples.

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