The Life, Studies, and Works of Benjamin West, Esq.

The Life, Studies, And Works Of
Benjamin West, Esq.
by John
Galt

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Title: The Life, Studies, And Works Of Benjamin West, Esq.

Author: John Galt
Release Date: September, 2005 [EBook #8857] [This file was first
posted on August 14, 2003]
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The Life, Studies, and Works of Benjamin West, Esq.
President of the Royal Academy of London
Composed from Materials Furnished by Himself
By John Galt, Esq.
Author of the Life and Administration of Cardinal Wolsey, &c.

1820.

Part I.

To Alexander Gordon, Esq. This little work Is respectfully inscribed By
the Author.

Preface.

The professional life of Mr. West constitutes an important part of an
historical work, in which the matter of this volume could only have
been introduced as an episode, and, perhaps, not with much propriety
even in that form. It was my intention, at one time, to have prepared the
whole of his memoirs, separately, for publication; but a careful review
of the manuscript convinced me, that the transactions in which he has
been engaged, subsequently to his arrival in England, are so much of a
public nature, and belong so immediately to the history of the Arts, that
such a separation could not be effected without essentially impairing
the interest and unity of the main design; and that the particular nature
of this portion of his memoirs admitted of being easily detached and
arranged into a whole, complete within itself.
I do not think that there can be two opinions with respect to the utility
of a work of this kind. Mr. West, in relating the circumstances by
which he was led to approximate, without the aid of an instructor, to
those principles and rules of art, which it is the object of schools and
academies to disseminate, has conferred a greater benefit on young
Artists than he could possibly have done by the most ingenious and
eloquent lectures on the theories of his profession; and it was necessary
that the narrative should appear in his own time, in order that the
authenticity of the incidents might not rest on the authority of any
biographer.
April 25,1816.
John Galt.

Contents.

Chap. I.
The Birth and Paternal Ancestry of Mr. West.--His Maternal
Family.--His Father.--The Origin of the Abolition of Slavery by the
Quakers.--The Progress of the Abolition.--The Education of the
Negroes.--The Preaching of Edmund Peckover.--His Admonitory
Prediction to the Father of West.--The first Indication of Benjamin's
Genius.--State of Society in Pennsylvania.--The Indians give West the
Primary Colours.--The Artist's first Pencils.--The Present of a Box of
Colours and Engravings.--His first Painting.
Chap. II.
The Artist visits Philadelphia.--His second Picture.--Williams the
Painter gives him the works of Fresnoy and Richardson.--Anecdote of
the Taylor's Apprentice.--The Drawings of the Schoolboys.--Anecdote
relative to Wayne.--Anecdote relative to Mr. Flower.--Anecdote
relative to Mr. Ross.--Anecdote of Mr. Henry.--The Artist's first
Historical Picture.--Origin of his Acquaintance with Dr. Smith of
Philadelphia.--The friendship of Dr. Smith, and the character of the
early companions of West.--Anecdote of General Washington.
Chap. III.
The course of instruction adopted by Provost Smith.--The Artist led to
the discovery of the Camera.--His Father becomes anxious to place him
in business.--Extraordinary proceedings of the Quakers in
consequence.--The Speech of Williamson the Preacher in defence of
the Fine Arts.--Magnanimous Resolution of the Quakers.--Reflections
on this singular transaction.
Chap. IV.
Reflections on the Eccentricities of Young Men of Genius with respect
to pecuniary matters.--The Death of the Artist's Mother.--The
Embodying of the Pennsylvanian Militia; an Anecdote of General
Wayne.--The Artist elected Commandant of a corps of Volunteer
boys.--The circumstances which occasioned the Search for the Bones

of Bradock's army.--The Search.--The Discovery of the Bones of the
Father and Brother of Sir