Nelson A. Primus facts for kids

Nelson A. Primus (1842–1916) was an African-American artist. He was famous for painting portraits, which are pictures of people.

Early Life and Family

Nelson Augustus Primus was born on March 25, 1842, in Hartford, Connecticut. His mother, Mehitable Jacobs, was a dressmaker. She also helped people find jobs as housekeepers and sewers.

His father, Holdridge Primus, worked as a clerk in a grocery store. Nelson was their only son. His family had deep roots in Hartford, as his grandmother's grandfather, Jeremiah Jacobs, was one of the first Black people to live there.

Discovering His Talent

Nelson's artistic skills were noticed when he was very young. He won a drawing award twice at the Hartford County Fair. He won the first award when he was just nine years old. He won again when he was seventeen.

When he was fifteen, Nelson started learning from George Francis, who painted carriages. Later, he studied art with Elizabeth Gilbert Jerome. She was a local artist who painted portraits.

Becoming an Artist

On June 18, 1864, Nelson married Amoretta Prime from Norfolk, Connecticut. Their daughter, Leila, was born six months later, on December 22, 1864.

In the spring of 1865, the family moved to Boston. Nelson wanted to study art there and find work as an artist. He first studied with Edward Mitchell Bannister. Bannister was a well-known African-American artist who painted portraits and landscapes.

Nelson stayed with Bannister for only three months. He felt Bannister was not helping him enough. After that, he studied with Charles Stetfield, a lithographer. Stetfield was not as skilled as Bannister, but he was a better teacher and mentor for Nelson.

Working and Painting

Nelson worked part-time to support his family. He painted carriages, did general painting, colored photos, and worked as a waiter. He painted portraits whenever he had free time.

It was often hard for him to sell his artwork. His parents supported his dream of being an artist. They often sent him money or food to help his family.

In July 1876, Nelson's wife, Amoretta, passed away after their daughter was born. He married Mary G. Wheeler in 1877. She was from Nantucket, Massachusetts. In 1893, his daughter, Leila, died from pneumonia.

Moving West

In 1895, Nelson and his wife Mary moved to the west coast of the United States. They lived in Seattle for a few years. Some portraits from that time have been identified as Nelson's work.

Around 1900, the couple moved to San Francisco, California. They lived near Chinatown. Nelson worked at a delicatessen. In his free time, he painted city scenes, landscapes, and portraits.

While in San Francisco, he created a famous painting called Fortune Teller in 1898. This painting showed a realistic picture of life in San Francisco in the late 1800s. Sadly, many of Nelson's paintings were lost in the big 1906 earthquake in San Francisco.

Later Life

By 1910, Nelson's wife, Mary, had passed away. Not much is known about his life after 1910. He died from tuberculosis on May 29, 1916, in a San Francisco hospital.

Gallery

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  Lizzy May Ulmer, 1876

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  Nehemiah Gibson, 1883

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  Landscape with horse, 1884

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  Fortune Teller, 1898