Joseph Badger, an American portraitist, died on May 11, 1765. Born in 1707, he began as a house painter and glazier before turning to portraiture around 1740, inspired by English mezzotints and John Smibert's work. His style is characterized by linear flatness and stiff figure treatment, yet his use of color and observation lend his subjects an honest immediacy.
He remains one of the notable American portraitists of the 18th century, known for his straightforward and honest likenesses of his subjects.
Artists involved
