George Winter (artist)
| George Winter | |
|---|---|
George Winter
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| Born |
June 10, 1810 Portsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England |
| Died | February 1, 1876 (aged 65) Lafayette, Indiana |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Painting |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Jane Squier (1820–1899), married August 5, 1840 |
George Winter (June 10, 1809 – February 1, 1876) was an English-born landscape and portrait artist who immigrated to the United States in 1830 and became an American citizen in northern Indiana's Wabash River valley. Winter was one of Indiana's first professional artists. In addition, he is considered the state's most significant painter of the first half of the nineteenth century. Winter is especially noted for his sketches, watercolors, and oil portraits that provide a visual record of the Potawatomi and Miami people in northern Indiana from 1837 to the 1840s, as well as other figures drawn from his firsthand observations on the American frontier.
Winter is better known for the historic value and subject matter of his work, rather than his artistic skill and mastery of technique. Not well known outside of Indiana during his lifetime, Winter gained notice with his portrait of Frances Slocum, a Quaker who was abducted in Pennsylvania by Delaware (Lenape) warriors when she was a child and grew up to become the wife of a Miami chief in Indiana. The Slocum portrait, along with his other work, has appeared in several publications and art exhibitions. Winter's art and other materials are represented in public collections in Indiana (Haan Mansion Museum of Indiana Art), Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
Winter, the youngest of twelve children, was born on June 10, 1809, in Portsea, Portsmouth, England. As part of "a cultured family," Winter grew up "in an art atmosphere from early childhood." His early education took place in the local schools, but he also received private instruction and planned to continue art studies in London. When Winter's father and five of his siblings immigrated to the United States, Winter and other members of the family remained in England. In 1826 Winter moved to London, where he lived with his brother, John, and spent the next four years painting reproductions of art exhibited in the city's museum and galleries. Winter may have tried to gain admission to the Royal Academy of Arts in London, but it appears that he never formally trained as a painter.
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