George M. Ottinger
Encyclopedia
George Martin Ottinger was a 19th-century artist, educator and actor in Utah.
Ottinger was born in Springfield Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
and then raised in New York City
. He was raised as a Quaker. At age 17 (in 1850) he joined the crew of a whaling ship. By age 20 he had circumnavigated the globe and done gold digging in California. He then studied art under Robert Weir
for a time before going to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Ottinger for the next two years worked as a painter of miniatures in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
. He then moved to Kentucky where he worked as a photograph tinter as well as a fruit merchant.
Ottinger later joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1858 after which he came to Utah in 1861. He formed a partnership with the photographer Charles Roscoe Savage
. There was so little demand for their work in Salt Lake City that for part of 1861 they traveled through Idaho doing jobs related to photography. Ottinger also did scenery painting for the Salt Lake Theatre as well as acting. In 1863 he became principal of the Deseret Academy of Arts, which was also a joint venture with Savage.
In 1861 Ottinger married Mary Jane McAllister Cullin. They only had one child before she died. Later in 1864 he married Phoebe Neslen.
In 1867 Ottinger began painting a series on the Spanish conquest of the Americas beganing with "The Last of the Aztecs". In 1879 Ottinger went with Savage as an art missionary to learn artistic skills in Europe. On his return he did murals in the St. George, Logan and Manti Temples.
From 1876-1890 Ottinger was head of the Salt Lake fire department, overseeing its transformation from a volunteer to a paid organization in 1883. Ottinger taught art a the University of Deseret beganing in 1881 and continuing until 1892. He was a key influence on many later Utah artists.
Ottinger was also for many years part of the Nauvoo Legion
. In 1894 he was appointed Adjutant General of Utah and in this position oversaw the organization of the Utah National Guard
.
Ottinger was born in Springfield Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Springfield Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Springfield Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 19,418 at the 2010 census. It includes the villages of Wyndmoor, Erdenheim, Flourtown, and Oreland...
and then raised in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He was raised as a Quaker. At age 17 (in 1850) he joined the crew of a whaling ship. By age 20 he had circumnavigated the globe and done gold digging in California. He then studied art under Robert Weir
Robert Weir
Robert Weir, PC was a Canadian politician.Weir was born in Wingham, Ontario and was a teacher by training. After working in Ontario he moved to Regina, Saskatchewan where he taught, worked as an actuary, public school inspector, farmer and horse, cattle and hog breeder...
for a time before going to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Ottinger for the next two years worked as a painter of miniatures in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
. He then moved to Kentucky where he worked as a photograph tinter as well as a fruit merchant.
Ottinger later joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1858 after which he came to Utah in 1861. He formed a partnership with the photographer Charles Roscoe Savage
Charles Roscoe Savage
Charles Roscoe Savage was a British-born landscape and portrait photographer who produced images of the American West. He is best known for his 1869 photographs of the linking of the first transcontinental railroad....
. There was so little demand for their work in Salt Lake City that for part of 1861 they traveled through Idaho doing jobs related to photography. Ottinger also did scenery painting for the Salt Lake Theatre as well as acting. In 1863 he became principal of the Deseret Academy of Arts, which was also a joint venture with Savage.
In 1861 Ottinger married Mary Jane McAllister Cullin. They only had one child before she died. Later in 1864 he married Phoebe Neslen.
In 1867 Ottinger began painting a series on the Spanish conquest of the Americas beganing with "The Last of the Aztecs". In 1879 Ottinger went with Savage as an art missionary to learn artistic skills in Europe. On his return he did murals in the St. George, Logan and Manti Temples.
From 1876-1890 Ottinger was head of the Salt Lake fire department, overseeing its transformation from a volunteer to a paid organization in 1883. Ottinger taught art a the University of Deseret beganing in 1881 and continuing until 1892. He was a key influence on many later Utah artists.
Ottinger was also for many years part of the Nauvoo Legion
Nauvoo Legion
The Nauvoo Legion was a militia originally organized by the Latter Day Saints to defend the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, . To curry political favor with the ambiguously-political Saints, the Illinois state legislature granted Nauvoo a liberal city charter that gave the Nauvoo Legion extraordinary...
. In 1894 he was appointed Adjutant General of Utah and in this position oversaw the organization of the Utah National Guard
Utah National Guard
The Utah National Guard consists of the:* Utah Army National Guard**19th Special Forces Group **85th WMD CST**97th Troop Command**115th Engineer Group **211th Aviation Group**300th MI Brigade **640th Regiment...
.
Sources
- Marriott Library biography of Ottinger
- Ask Art bio of Ottinger
- Pslmquist, Peter E. and Thomas R. Kailbourn. Pioneer Photographers of the Far West, 1840-1865 (Stanford: University Press, 2000) p. 425-426.