Nathaniel Smibert Explained

Nathaniel Smibert (January 20, 1734 – November 8, 1756), was an American colonial artist in Boston, Province of Massachusetts, active in the mid-18th century. He is considered to be the first portrait painter in America.

Biography

Born in Boston in 1734, Nathaniel Smibert trained as a painter with his father, artist John Smibert. He painted several portraits, notably of Ezra Stiles, architect Peter Harrison, and Dorothy Wendell (in the Collection of Dr John L Hale, Boston). Smibert died young in 1756, at the age of twenty-two.^{[1] [2]}

Further reading

• Book: Bénézit, Emmanuel. Benezit Dictionary of Artists. Gründ. 2006. 2-7000-3082-6. 12. Paris. 1349. first published in French in 1911–1923. the Internet Archive.

Notes and References

1. Boston Gazette, or Weekly Journal, 8 November 1756
2. Richard H. Saunders. John Smibert: Colonial America's First Portrait Pinter. Yale University Press, 1995.