Samuel Stillman Osgood facts for kids
Samuel Stillman Osgood (born June 9, 1808 – died 1885) was an American portrait painter from the 1800s. A portrait painter is an artist who specializes in painting pictures of people.
About Samuel Stillman Osgood
Samuel Stillman Osgood was born in New Haven, Connecticut. His parents were James Osgood and Elizabeth Badger. He began his art studies in Boston, Massachusetts.
After he married a poet named Frances Sargent Locke, he continued his art education. He studied at the Royal Academy in London, England. When he came back to America, he lived in New York City. There, he became a member of the National Academy of Design.
In 1849, Samuel Osgood traveled to California. He stayed there for almost a year. During this time, he looked for gold, which is called prospecting. He also painted portraits in San Francisco.
His Wife's Memorial
Sadly, his wife, Frances, passed away in 1850 due to an illness. Samuel Osgood designed a special memorial for her. It is located at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she was buried.
His design was inspired by one of her poems. The memorial is 15 feet tall. It has a white marble base with a bronze lyre on top. A lyre is a musical instrument like a small harp. A laurel wreath, which is a symbol of honor, crowns the lyre.
The memorial had a special meaning. Four of the lyre's strings were designed to look cut. This symbolized the sad loss of his wife and three daughters. They had all passed away by 1851. When Samuel Osgood died, he asked his second wife to cut the fifth string.
Famous People He Painted
Samuel Osgood painted many important people. Some of his famous portrait subjects include:
- Frances Sargent Osgood, his wife
- Edgar Allan Poe, a famous writer
- Davy Crockett, a well-known frontiersman
- John Sutter, a pioneer in California
- Henry Clay, a famous politician
- Alice Cary, a poet
- Mary Boykin Chesnut, a diarist
- Thomas Campbell, a Scottish poet
- Mary E. Hewitt, a poet
- Caroline E. S. Norton, a social reformer and writer
Gallery
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Rodman McCamley Price
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Edgar Allan Poe
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Epes Sargent
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Robert Troupe Paine
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See also
In Spanish: Samuel Stillman Osgood para niños
