George Winter (artist)
Encyclopedia
George Winter was an English-born American
artist
who was noted for his portrait
s of Native Americans
and other figures of the American
frontier.
, Hampshire, England to a cultured family and lived in an art atmosphere from early childhood. After private instruction, he entered the Royal Academy
, London, where he lived and worked for four years. In 1830 he moved to New York City
and continued his studies at the National Academy of Design
. In 1835 he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio
. On a trip to nearby Dayton, Ohio
, he met Mary Jane Squier, whom he would marry in 1840. Hearing of the plight of northern Indiana's Potawatomi
Indians, who were being removed
to Kansas
in what would later be called the "Potawatomi Trail of Death
," Winter moved to Logansport, Indiana
, in 1837 to document their culture. After 13 years in Logansport he moved to Lafayette, Indiana
, where he lived until 1873, when he moved to California. In 1876 he returned to Lafayette, and soon after died suddenly while attending a meeting of railroad stockholders at Snyder's Opera House. He was buried in Lafayette's Greenbush Cemetery.
and Karl Bodmer
. In a private letter Winter speaks of six paintings of the Tippecanoe
battleground, noting that two of them had dimensions of 152 square feet (14.1 m²) each. He described the collection as being taken from different points of view and altogether conveying the idea of the battleground and of the “surrounding romantic country.” The most noteworthy and valuable work left by Winter was a collection of paintings that he had not sold. All came into the possession of Mrs. Cable Ball of Lafayette, who donated them to the Tippecanoe County Historical Association in 1986.
In addition to Winter’s paintings there is a large manuscript collection of Winter’s papers that has important historic value due to its intimate description of the Wabash Indians. Winter’s first-hand writings about the relocation of the Potawatomi
and Miami
tribes is of significant value. Winter is best known for his documentation of the life of Frances Slocum
, a Quaker child who was abducted by Indians and who grew up to become the wife of an Indian chief.
Segments of the George Winter collection are now available online through a cooperative project of the Tippecanoe County Historical Association and Purdue University Libraries Archives and Special Collections.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
who was noted for his portrait
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
s of Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
and other figures of the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
frontier.
Biography
Winter was born in PortseaPortsea
Portsea is an area of the English city of Portsmouth, located on Portsea Island, within the ceremonial county of Hampshire.The area was originally known as the Common and lay between the town of Portsmouth and the nearby Dockyard. The Common started to be developed at the end of the seventeenth...
, Hampshire, England to a cultured family and lived in an art atmosphere from early childhood. After private instruction, he entered the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
, London, where he lived and worked for four years. In 1830 he moved to 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...
and continued his studies at the National Academy of Design
National Academy of Design
The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, founded in New York City as the National Academy of Design – known simply as the "National Academy" – is an honorary association of American artists founded in 1825 by Samuel F. B. Morse, Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E...
. In 1835 he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. On a trip to nearby Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, he met Mary Jane Squier, whom he would marry in 1840. Hearing of the plight of northern Indiana's Potawatomi
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
Indians, who were being removed
Indian Removal
Indian removal was a nineteenth century policy of the government of the United States to relocate Native American tribes living east of the Mississippi River to lands west of the river...
to Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
in what would later be called the "Potawatomi Trail of Death
Potawatomi Trail of Death
The Potawatomi Trail of Death was the forced removal by United States forces from September 4 to November 4, 1838, of 859 members of the Potawatomi nation from Twin Lakes near Plymouth, Indiana, to the location of present-day Osawatomie, Kansas, a distance of . Typhoid fever and the stress of the...
," Winter moved to Logansport, Indiana
Logansport, Indiana
Logansport is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, Indiana, United States. The population was 18,396 at the 2010 census. Logansport is located in northern Indiana, at the junction of the Wabash and Eel rivers, northeast of Lafayette.-History:...
, in 1837 to document their culture. After 13 years in Logansport he moved to Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
, where he lived until 1873, when he moved to California. In 1876 he returned to Lafayette, and soon after died suddenly while attending a meeting of railroad stockholders at Snyder's Opera House. He was buried in Lafayette's Greenbush Cemetery.
Significance of Winter's career
Winter's artistic work on the Indiana frontier was predated by Charles Alexandre LesueurCharles Alexandre Lesueur
Charles Alexandre Lesueur was a French naturalist, artist and explorer.Pictured here is the oil portrait by Charles Willson Peale of Charles-Alexandre Lesueur...
and Karl Bodmer
Karl Bodmer
Karl Bodmer was a Swiss painter of the American West. He accompanied German explorer Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied from 1832 through 1834 on his Missouri River expedition...
. In a private letter Winter speaks of six paintings of the Tippecanoe
Battle of Tippecanoe
The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought on November 7, 1811, between United States forces led by Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and Native American warriors associated with the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa were leaders of a confederacy of...
battleground, noting that two of them had dimensions of 152 square feet (14.1 m²) each. He described the collection as being taken from different points of view and altogether conveying the idea of the battleground and of the “surrounding romantic country.” The most noteworthy and valuable work left by Winter was a collection of paintings that he had not sold. All came into the possession of Mrs. Cable Ball of Lafayette, who donated them to the Tippecanoe County Historical Association in 1986.
In addition to Winter’s paintings there is a large manuscript collection of Winter’s papers that has important historic value due to its intimate description of the Wabash Indians. Winter’s first-hand writings about the relocation of the Potawatomi
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
and Miami
Miami tribe
The Miami are a Native American nation originally found in what is now Indiana, southwest Michigan, and western Ohio. The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma is the only federally recognized tribe of Miami Indians in the United States...
tribes is of significant value. Winter is best known for his documentation of the life of Frances Slocum
Frances Slocum
Frances Slocum was an adopted member of the Miami tribe taken from her family home by the Lenape in Pennsylvania at the age of five and raised in what is now Indiana. Her burial site is a Miami Indian shrine near Peoria, Miami County, Indiana.Frances was part of a family of early Quaker settlers...
, a Quaker child who was abducted by Indians and who grew up to become the wife of an Indian chief.
Segments of the George Winter collection are now available online through a cooperative project of the Tippecanoe County Historical Association and Purdue University Libraries Archives and Special Collections.