William Sidney Mount

William Sidney Mount is considered America’s first major genre painter (painter of everyday scenes). His subjects were almost exclusively rural scenes—many of which carried veiled political messages—and portraits.  After a short apprenticeship as a sign maker, he studied briefly at the National Academy of Design in New York, but was primarily self-taught. An ambitious painter, inventor, and entrepreneur who worked both in New York City and in rural areas on Long Island Sound, Mount carefully cultivated a reputation as a homegrown talent. By drawing his subject matter from daily life, Mount rejected the high-culture demand for grand historical scenes modeled after European examples, and his refusal to travel abroad for further study underscored his commitment to the American scene. Mount’s images were disseminated through engravings and color lithographs based on his paintings—a common practice before the age of photography. These prints popularized his work and encouraged other artists to pursue similar subjects. Hailed by critics of the era as an original American artist, Mount created works that reflect daily life, but also the political discourse of his time.