William D. Washington

William Dickinson Washington (October 7, 1833 – December 1, 1870 ) was an American painter and teacher of art. He is most famous for his painting The Burial of Latané, which became a symbol of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy in the years following the American Civil War, and for the work he did in establishing the fine arts program of the Virginia Military Institute.

Biography

Early years Long thought to have been born in Clarke County, Virginia, Washington was in reality born in Snickersville in neighboring Loudoun County, the child of John Perrin Washington and Hannah Fairfax Whiting, The younger Washington began his own career at the Patent Office, working there for some years as a draughtsman. He studied painting with Emmanuel Leutze during his time in Washington, working with the elder painter between 1851 and 1852. He also pursued further study in Düsseldorf, also with Leutze; The office messenger saw it and was preparing to whitewash over it when one of Washington's superiors, William Langdon, praised it; soon the Commissioner of the Patent Office took note, and brought President Franklin Pierce and his Secretary of the Interior, Robert McClelland, to view the picture. So impressed were they that the president returned on the following day, bringing with him his wife and another lady. What became of the picture is unknown, although it was recorded as having been still in place as late as October 1856. The former, depicting an incident in the war, was based on a popular poem by John Reuben Thompson, which Washington may have heard read by its writer at an informal gathering of the Mosaic Club, where he was living at the time. The painter also worked at a studio on East Leigh Street. During his time in the Confederate capital Washington was described as "reticent" and "of nervous temperament", yet he still was part of the "best Richmond Society". In July 1869, Washington was offered a teaching post at the Virginia Military Institute, where he would remain, with one interruption, until his death some eighteen months later. George S. Patton, Sr. Waller T. Patton Robert E. Rodes Stonewall Jackson J.E.B. Stuart Joseph W. Latimer Samuel Garland He also contributed a portrait of the then-still-living Robert E. Lee to the gallery. and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts; in addition, a portrait of John Marshall, which he painted for the Fauquier County Courthouse in Warrenton, Virginia, is still hanging there today. Prints of The Burial of Latané were also popular, and some may still be found in various collections. Jackson Entering the City of Winchester, Virginia is currently owned by the Valentine Museum in Richmond.