Artist
Edward Hicks
American, 1780–1849
Edward Hicks was an American American Folk Art painter. 12 works are cataloged here, principally at National Gallery of Art, most of them oil paintings. Edward Hicks was born in Langhorne.
Edward Hicks spent his life caught between two worlds. A Quaker preacher by Sunday and a painter by weekdays, he painted signs and carriages to support his family while quietly building a body of peaceful, crowded scenes.
His big shift came late. After years of painting signs, he turned to biblical scenes in the 1820s, simple stories crowded with calm animals and people. His most famous series, The Peaceable Kingdom, blends a Bible verse about lions lying down with wolves with his own hope for harmony between settlers and Native Americans. Hicks painted over 60 versions, tweaking details but keeping the same warm, crowded style.
Look for his signature trick: flat colors with strong outlines, like a children’s book. His paintings feel busy but never messy, full of quiet hope. If you spot a scene with a crowd of animals and a child pointing to a distant shore, that’s Hicks, preacher and painter, sharing a quiet dream.
Works by Edward Hicks
Collections represented
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