Seth Wells Cheney
American, 1810 – 1856
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Seth Wells Cheney, American artist, a pioneer of crayon work in the United States.
He was the son of George Cheney and Electa Woodbridge. He received a public school education. In 1833 he went to Paris and studied under Jean-Baptiste Isabey and Paul Delaroche when he returned he started drawing portraits in Boston in 1841.
His portraits are in black and white crayon. He was one of the earliest American artists in black and white, and excelled in giving spirituality to his portraits and ideal female faces, which were sought by collectors. Among his works are portraits of Theodore Parker with his wife, James Walker (president of Harvard), William Cullen Bryant, and Ephraim Peabody, “Rosalie,” and “A Roman Girl.” On May 10, 1848 he was made an associate of the National Academy of Design.
He died in South Manchester, Connecticut.
