Organized by the Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York, this exhibition includes more than 40 oil paintings spanning William Matthew Prior’s career from 1824 to 1856. Through his pragmatic marketing strategy, Prior was able to document the faces of middle-class Americans throughout his lifetime, making art accessible to a previously overlooked group.
A versatile artist, Prior is well known not only for the skill and range of his technique but for the diversity of his sitters. Prior’s involvement with Millerism (early Adventism) was instrumental in his personal development as well as providing access to new clients, including many African Americans.
The Henry Luce Foundation, as the foundation sponsor, provided partial funding for the exhibition and catalog “Artist and Visionary: William Matthew Prior Revealed.” Funding also provided by the American Folk Art Society and the Beryl P. Haas Charitable Remainder Unitrust. The presentation at the American Folk Art Museum is sponsored, in part, by Joyce Berger Cowin, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and by the David Davies and Jack Weeden Fund for Exhibitions.
- Ken Johnson
The Artist as a Young Man: Self-Portrait
William Matthew Prior (1806–1873)
Portland, Maine
1825
Oil on canvas
31 1/8 x 26 15/16 in.
Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York, N0008.2010
Child in Blue with Dog
William Matthew Prior (1806–1873)
Probably East Boston
1848
Oil on canvas
35 5/8 x 29 in.
Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York, gift of Stephen C. Clark, N0254.1961
Photo by John Bigelow Taylor, New York
Mrs. G. Brightman
William Matthew Prior (1806–1873)
Probably Fall River, Massachusetts
1844
Oil on cardboard
14 1/4 x 10 1/4 in.
Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York, N0293.1959
Photo by Richard Walker
Mr. G. Brightman
William Matthew Prior (1806–1873)
Probably Fall River, Massachusetts
1844
Oil on cardboard
14 1/4 x 10 1/4 in.
Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York, N0292.1959
Photo by Richard Walker
Nancy Lawson
William Matthew Prior (1806–1873)
Probably East Boston
1843
Oil on canvas
30 x 25 in.
Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont
Landscape
William Matthew Prior (1806–1873)
Probably East Boston
c. 1850–1860
Oil on canvas
20 1/4 x 25 3/4 in.
Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York, N0412.1961
Photo by Richard Walker
The Henry Luce Foundation, as the foundation sponsor, provided partial funding for the exhibition and catalog “Artist and Visionary: William Matthew Prior Revealed.” Funding also provided by the American Folk Art Society and the Beryl P. Haas Charitable Remainder Unitrust. The presentation at the American Folk Art Museum is sponsored, in part, by Joyce Berger Cowin, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and by the David Davies and Jack Weeden Fund for Exhibitions.
Visiones del Pueblo: The Folk Art of Latin America, by Marion Oettinger Jr.
Zoratti’s Garden, by Gene Kangas
Pioneers in Folk Art Collecting: Elie And Viola Nadelman, by Christine I. Oaklander
