William D. Washington
| William Dickinson Washington | |
|---|---|
William D. Washington
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| Born |
William D. Washington October 7, 1833 Loudoun County, Virginia |
| Died | December 1, 1870 (aged 37) Lexington, Virginia |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Emmanuel Leutze; Academy of Arts, Düsseldorf |
| Known for | Painting |
| Notable work | The Burial of Latané (1864) |
| Movement | Romanticism |
William Dickinson Washington (October 7, 1833 – December 1, 1870) was an American painter and teacher of art. He is most famous for his painting The Burial of Latané, which became a symbol of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy in the years following the American Civil War, and for the work he did in establishing the fine arts program of the Virginia Military Institute.
Long thought to have been born in Clarke County, Virginia, Washington was in reality born in Snickersville in neighboring Loudoun County, the child of John Perrin Washington and Hannah Fairfax Whiting, and was a descendant of Warner Washington, a first cousin of George Washington; his place of birth has been proven by census records of the era. The boy was born with a congenital deformity of his left foot, and walked with a limp his whole life despite attempts to repair it; he also suffered greatly from numerous childhood ailments. John Washington secured a job with the United States Post Office in Washington, D.C., and his family moved to that town in 1834. The younger Washington began his own career at the Patent Office, working there for some years as a draughtsman. He studied painting with Emmanuel Leutze during his time in Washington, working with the elder painter between 1851 and 1852. He also pursued further study in Düsseldorf, also with Leutze; his recommendation to travel there was supported by both of Virginia's senators, James Murray Mason and Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter, who urged Secretary of State Edward Everett to appoint him a dispatch bearer in Europe to provide him with funds for the journey. The Secretary agreed, and Washington began his duties at Calais upon landing there on May 16, 1853. He continued to Germany and began studies under Friedrich Wilhelm Schadow.
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