14 Facts About Washington Allston

Washington Allston was an American painter and poet, born in Waccamaw Parish, South Carolina.

Washington Allston was well known during his lifetime for his experiments with dramatic subject matter and his bold use of light and atmospheric color.

From 1803 to 1808, he visited the great museums of Paris and then, for several years, those of Italy, where he met Washington Allston Irving in Rome and Coleridge, his lifelong friend.

In 1809, Washington Allston married Ann Channing, sister of William Ellery Channing.

Washington Allston's wife died in February 1815, leaving him saddened, lonely, and homesick for America.

Washington Allston was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1826.

Washington Allston was the uncle of the artists George Whiting Flagg and Jared Bradley Flagg, both of whom studied painting under him.

Washington Allston exhibited five paintings at the National Academy of Design, but this number is low given his place in the artistic community of the time.

In 1830 Washington Allston married Martha Remington Dana, the sister of the novelist Richard Henry Dana Sr.

Washington Allston worked for years on what he envisioned would be his masterpiece: a painting called Belshazzar's Feast; he died before finishing it.

Washington Allston is buried in Harvard Square, in the Old Burying Ground between the First Parish Church and Christ Church.

Washington Allston was sometimes called the "American Titian" because his style resembled the great Venetian Renaissance artists in their display of dramatic color contrasts.

Washington Allston's memory is the quince in the drawer and perfumes the atmosphere.

The west Boston, Massachusetts neighborhood of Washington Allston is named after him, as is Washington Allston Way, in the "Poets Corner" neighborhood of Berkeley, California.