Tompkins Harrison Matteson

Tompkins Matteson, one of the most noted painters in upstate New York during the 1850s, was well-known for genre and historical subjects.

Born in Madison County, N.Y. in 1813. As a boy, he was an enthusiatic art student, pursuing his profession under many difficulties. He entered the National Academy, and painted portraits in the city & state of New York for some years. His "Spirit of '76" purchased by the American Art Union, first brought him into notice as an artist. Among his early works are his "First Sabbath of the Pilgrims," "Examination of a Witch," "Perils of the Early Colonists," "Eliot Preaching to the Indians," .....and his portrait of Mayor Havemeyer in the City Hall, New York. He lived in New York from 1840-1851 when he moved to Sherbourne, New York. He died in 1884.

Source: Artists of the Nineteenth Century