Artist
Thomas Buchanan Read
American, 1822–1872
Thomas Buchanan Read was an American American Impressionism artist. 1 work is cataloged here, principally at Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Thomas Buchanan Read was born in Downingtown.
Thomas Buchanan Read (March 12, 1822 – May 11, 1872) was an American poet and painter. His portraits include many famous individuals including Robert Browning, Joseph Harrison Jr., William Henry Harrison, Abraham Lincoln, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Alfred Tennyson. He first achieved national prominence in Cincinnati, Ohio.
He studied under sculptor Shobal Vail Clevenger and opened an art studio sponsored by wealthy horticulturist Nicholas Longworth. He chafed under criticism from Longworth and moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he befriended poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and painter Washington Allston. He moved to Rome, Italy, and opened a studio, but achieved most of his artistic success while living in Florence, Italy.
He was briefly associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He returned to the United States during the American Civil War and served as a major in the Union Army. His most well known poem, "Sheridan's Ride", depicts Union General Philip Sheridan's charge at the Battle of Cedar Creek during the American Civil War.
Read gave recitations of the poem to the public and troops to build support for the war in the North. The poem's popularity also prompted the creation of several paintings by Read depicting the scene.
Works by Thomas Buchanan Read
Collections represented
Artists in a similar vein
