Worthington Whittredge

American (1820 - 1910)

Born near Springfield, Ohio in 1820, Whittredge would become one of the foremost painters of the Hudson River School, and well-known in Europe as well. In 1849, Whittredge traveled to Europe to pursue his artistic studies, studying in London, Antwerp, Paris and Rome before heading to Dusseldorf, Germany to study and paint with Andreas Achenbach and Carl Lessing. It is in Dusseldorf that Whittredge painted “Dappled Light (Laundress in a Stream),” a painting dated to 1855 by Whittredge expert Anthony Janson.

Janson notes that Whittredge developed two styles during his painting career: one for his Cincinnati patrons and a second for the German market. Those painted in Germany were never signed, as is the case with “Dappled Light.” Janson notes that every work painted in 1855 shows “a complete mastery of the Dusseldorf school’s style and technique. There isn’t a bad, or even a mediocre, picture among anything he produced in this magical period. What is quite remarkable is that he managed to retain a plein-air light and atmosphere in every canvas, despite working from a detailed drawing in each case.”

Ten years later, in 1859, Whittredge returned to America, where he set up his studio in New York City, at the 10th St. Studio. He spent his summers in Rhode Island, and also traveled extensively to places such as the Rockies, the Catskills, the White Mountains and New Mexico. He also served two terms as President of the National Gallery of Design.

Whittredge’s paintings are in many prestigious museum collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Design, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and the Cincinnati Art Museum.