Introduction
William Harrison Scarborough stands as a notable figure in nineteenth-century American art, particularly recognized for his contributions to portraiture in the Antebellum South. Born in 1812 and passing away in 1871, Scarborough carved a significant career primarily as a painter of portraits, including miniatures, though he also explored landscape painting. An American by birth, his professional life unfolded across several Southern states, culminating in his establishment as a leading artist in South Carolina. His work provides a valuable visual record of the society and prominent individuals of his time.
Early Life and Artistic Formation
William Harrison Scarborough was born in Dover, Tennessee, in 1812. His early life saw him pursue an interesting combination of studies, undertaking education in both medicine and art. This dual interest suggests a broad intellectual curiosity. His formal artistic training began in Nashville, Tennessee, where he studied painting under the guidance of John C. Grimes, a fellow portraitist active in the region. Seeking to further hone his skills, Scarborough traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio, a burgeoning center for arts and culture in the West at that time.
In Cincinnati, Scarborough received further instruction from Horace Harding, associated with the Littleton Museum. Harding himself was part of an artistic family, and studying under him would have exposed Scarborough to different techniques and professional standards. This period of study in Nashville and Cincinnati provided the foundational skills upon which Scarborough would build his long and productive career as a professional artist. The necessity of seeking out established artists for training was typical for aspiring painters in America during this period, especially outside the major East Coast cities.
An Itinerant Painter's Path
Following his initial training, Scarborough embarked on the career path common to many American artists of his era: that of an itinerant painter. He traveled extensively through Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia, seeking commissions for portraits. Life as a traveling artist required resilience and entrepreneurial spirit. Evidence suggests Scarborough actively promoted his services, placing advertisements in local newspapers to attract clients in the towns he visited.
A common practice for itinerant portraitists, which Scarborough employed, was to live with the patron's family while completing the commission. This arrangement was practical, allowing the artist extended access to the sitter and reducing accommodation costs, while also fostering a closer relationship with the clients. This period of travel was crucial for building his reputation and portfolio, exposing his work to a wider audience across the South before he eventually settled in a more permanent location.
Establishing Roots in South Carolina
Around 1836, William Harrison Scarborough made a significant move to Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston was a major cultural and economic center of the Antebellum South, boasting a relatively sophisticated art market and a number of established resident artists. Scarborough faced immediate competition upon his arrival. However, leveraging the strategies honed during his itinerant years, such as advertising and potentially his personable approach developed through living with clients, he began to establish himself within the Charleston art scene.
His time in Charleston marked a transition phase. While continuing to travel and take commissions across the Carolinas and Georgia, he gradually built a stronger regional presence. Eventually, Scarborough relocated from the coastal hub of Charleston inland to Columbia, the state capital of South Carolina. It was in Columbia that he truly cemented his reputation, becoming recognized as the city's foremost portrait painter. This shift from a traveling artist to a settled, leading figure in a state capital signifies his professional success and acceptance by the Southern elite.
Artistic Style and Technique
William Harrison Scarborough's artistic output was dominated by portraiture, executed primarily in oils. His style is characterized by a commitment to realism and achieving a strong, often serious, likeness of his subjects. Early works often followed the conventional formats of the time, presenting sitters in frontal or profile views against plain, neutral backgrounds. This approach focused attention squarely on the individual's features and character, as interpreted by the artist.
Over time, particularly during his South Carolina period, Scarborough's style evolved. He began incorporating more elaborate backgrounds, sometimes including landscape elements or interior details. This trend towards integrating figures within specific settings was becoming increasingly popular among American artists and was notably practiced by other painters active in South Carolina. While grounded in traditional portraiture techniques, this development added depth and context to his depictions. His skill extended beyond standard oil portraits to include miniature painting and occasional landscape work. His approach remained distinct from the more romantic or idealized styles of some contemporaries, favoring a direct and faithful representation.
Mastery in Miniature
Although few examples survive today, historical records, particularly Scarborough's own account books, indicate that he was also a proficient and active painter of miniature portraits. Miniatures were highly popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries, serving as intimate keepsakes and portable likenesses before the advent of widespread photography. They required meticulous technique and a fine hand, distinct from the broader strokes often used in larger oil paintings.
The creation of miniatures formed a significant part of the repertoire for many portraitists of the era, including earlier American artists like Charles Willson Peale and his brother James Peale. Scarborough's engagement with this form demonstrates his versatility. The scarcity of his surviving miniatures makes the references in his account books particularly valuable, offering a glimpse into a less visible aspect of his artistic production and clientele.
Exploring the Landscape
While portraiture remained his primary focus and source of income, William Harrison Scarborough also ventured into landscape painting. Surviving examples and records indicate his interest in capturing the natural scenery of the regions where he lived and worked. Specific works mentioned include depictions of Reed River Falls and views near Geiger’s Pond, likely located in the Greenville area of South Carolina.
His landscape work may have stemmed from personal interest or perhaps reflected the growing appreciation for American scenery, famously championed by the Hudson River School painters like Thomas Cole and Asher B. Durand, who were his contemporaries. Although Scarborough was not formally associated with that movement, his landscape paintings show an engagement with the American environment beyond the confines of the portrait studio. These works add another dimension to our understanding of his artistic interests and capabilities.
Patrons, Prestige, and Price
William Harrison Scarborough's success as a portraitist is evident in the status of his clientele and the fees he commanded. He painted portraits for many prominent families and individuals across the South, including governors, wealthy planters, merchants, and other members of the social elite, particularly in South Carolina and Tennessee. Portraiture in the Antebellum South served not only as a means of preserving likeness but also as a significant marker of social standing and wealth.
His reputation allowed him to charge substantial fees for his work. At the peak of his career, Scarborough reportedly charged as much as 5 for a portrait, a considerable sum at the time. This fee level reflects both the demand for his work and the high regard in which his skills were held by discerning patrons. His portraits, therefore, function not just as artistic creations but also as historical documents reflecting the social hierarchy and aspirations of the Southern upper class before the Civil War. His patrons sought out his realistic style, perhaps valuing the sense of permanence and dignity his work conveyed, echoing traditions set by earlier American masters like Gilbert Stuart and John Singleton Copley.
The Artist's Ledger: A Window into a Career
A particularly valuable resource for understanding William Harrison Scarborough's career is the survival of his detailed account books and sketchbooks, covering the period from 1841 to 1856. Such primary documents are relatively rare for artists of this era and provide exceptional insights into the practicalities of his profession. These records likely contain information about his commissions, patrons' names, prices charged, locations visited, and potentially preliminary sketches or notes related to specific works.
These ledgers help art historians reconstruct his activities, track his productivity (especially regarding the now-scarce miniatures), and understand his business practices. They offer concrete evidence of his extensive work throughout Georgia and the Carolinas during these years. The meticulous nature of these records underscores Scarborough's professionalism and provides a tangible link to the day-to-day reality of a successful working artist in the mid-19th century American South.
Life and Art in the Antebellum South
Scarborough's life and career (1812-1871) unfolded during a tumultuous period in American history, spanning the decades of growth and tension leading up to, including, and immediately following the Civil War. His most active years coincided with the height of the Antebellum era in the South. His patrons were often key figures within the plantation economy and the political structures that supported it.
While his surviving works primarily focus on capturing individual likenesses rather than overt social commentary, they inevitably serve as a visual chronicle of the Southern elite during this period. The clothing, settings (when included), and the very bearing of his sitters reflect the cultural norms and social status of his subjects. His portraits offer viewers today a direct, if filtered through artistic convention, encounter with the faces of a society on the brink of profound transformation. His ability to thrive professionally within this specific context speaks to his skill in navigating its social and economic landscape.
Contemporaries and Artistic Context
William Harrison Scarborough worked within a rich and evolving American art scene. His direct mentors were John C. Grimes and Horace Harding. In his travels, particularly in East Tennessee, he likely encountered and competed with other regional artists, such as Samuel Shaver, who became prominent there slightly later. Scarborough's move to Charleston placed him in an environment with a longer artistic lineage, potentially including awareness of figures like Jeremiah Theus from the colonial era or the more internationally renowned Washington Allston, who had earlier ties to the region.
Nationally, Scarborough was a contemporary of many significant American painters. The field of portraiture included celebrated artists like Thomas Sully, Rembrandt Peale (son of Charles Willson Peale), Chester Harding (no known relation to Horace), and the prolific George Peter Alexander Healy. While Scarborough focused on the South, these artists catered to clientele across the nation, often employing more romantic or grander styles. The legacy of Gilbert Stuart loomed large over American portraiture. Simultaneously, landscape painting was reaching new heights with Hudson River School artists such as Thomas Cole and Asher B. Durand. Other contemporaries included the famed naturalist John James Audubon and genre painters like George Caleb Bingham, depicting scenes of everyday life further west. Scarborough's career thus unfolded alongside diverse artistic developments across the country.
Legacy and Historical Significance
William Harrison Scarborough holds a secure place in the annals of American art history, primarily recognized for his substantial contribution to Southern portraiture during the mid-nineteenth century. His reputation was built on his technical skill in capturing accurate and compelling likenesses, a quality highly valued by his patrons. He rose from an itinerant painter to become the preeminent portraitist in Columbia, South Carolina, demonstrating both artistic talent and professional acumen.
His importance is particularly noted in the regional art histories of South Carolina and Tennessee. His numerous portraits serve as an important visual archive of the leading figures and families of the Antebellum South. While perhaps not as nationally famous as some contemporaries based in the Northeast, Scarborough's consistent quality and prolific output made him a significant artistic force within his sphere of activity. His work reflects the tastes and aspirations of his time and place, offering enduring insight into the society he depicted.
Conclusion
William Harrison Scarborough (1812-1871) navigated the American art world of the mid-nineteenth century with skill and determination. From his early training in Tennessee and Ohio, through his years as a traveling painter across the South, to his eventual establishment as a leading portraitist in Columbia, South Carolina, he built a successful and respected career. Specializing in realistic portraiture in oil and miniature, while also exploring landscape, Scarborough created a significant body of work that captured the likenesses of the Southern elite. His paintings remain important today, not only as examples of nineteenth-century American portraiture but also as historical documents reflecting the character and society of the Antebellum South. His legacy is firmly rooted in the art history of the region he so meticulously documented through his craft.
