Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Sartain, John

SARTAIN, John, artist, b. in London, 24 Oct., 1808; d. in Philadelphia, 25 Oct., 1897. He learned to engrave in the line manner, in which style he produced several of the plates in Ottley's “Early Florentine School.” In 1828 he began to practise mezzotints, and when he came to the United States in 1830 was one of the first to introduce that branch of engraving here. Subsequently he usually mingled both styles, with the addition of stippling. In England he had studied painting under John Varley and Henry Richter, and in Philadelphia he became the pupil of Joshua Shaw and Manuel J. de Franca. For about ten years after his arrival in this country he was also engaged in painting portraits in oil and miniatures on ivory. During the same time he found employment in making designs for bank-note vignettes, and also in drawing on wood for book-illustration. In 1843 he became proprietor and editor of “Campbell's Foreign Semi-Monthly Magazine,” and thereafter devoted himself entirely to engraving and to literary work. He had an interest at the same time in the “Eclectic Museum,” for which, later, when John H. Agnew was alone in charge, he simply engraved the plates. In 1848 he purchased a one-half interest in the “Union Magazine,” a New York periodical, which he transferred to Philadelphia. The name was changed to “Sartain's Union Magazine.” and during the four years of its existence the journal became widely known. During this period, besides his editorial work and the engravings that had to be made regularly for the periodicals with which he was connected, Sartain produced an enormous quantity of plates for book-illustration. The framing prints from his studio include “The County Election in Missouri,” after Bingham (about 1855); Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gilmor, of Baltimore, two plates after Sir Thomas Lawrence; David Paul Brown, after John Neagle; “Christ Rejected,” after Benjamin West (1862); “Men of Progress, American Inventors” (1862), “Zeisberger preaching to the Indians at Gosgoshunk” (about 1862), and “The Iron-Worker and King Solomon” (1876), the last three after Christian Schuessele; “John Knox and Mary, Queen of Scots,” after Emmanuel Leutze; “Homestead of Henry Clay,” after Hamilton; “Edwin Forrest” and “The Battle of Gettysburg” (1876-'7), after Peter F. Rothermel. Since he came to Philadelphia, Mr. Sartain had taken an active interest in art matters there. He had held various offices in the Artists' fund society, the School of design for women, and the Pennsylvania academy, and had been actively connected with other educational institutions in the city. He had visited Europe several times, and on the occasion of his second visit in 1862 he was elected a member of the society “Artis et Amicitiæ” in Amsterdam. In 1876 he had charge of the art department at the Centennial exhibition in Philadelphia. In recognition of his services there, the king of Italy conferred on him the title of cavaliere, and he had received also other decorations and medals. His architectural knowledge had been frequently called into requisition, and he had designed several monuments, notably that to Washington and Lafayette in Monument cemetery, Philadelphia, for which he also modelled the two medallion heads. — His son, Samuel, engraver, b. in Philadelphia, Pa., 8 Oct., 1830, at the age of sixteen began to engrave under his father, and since his twenty-first year has been in business for himself. His prints include “Clear the Track,” after C. Schuessele" (1854); “Christ blessing Little Children,” after Sir Charles Locke Eastlake (1861); “One of the Chosen,” after Guy; “Christ stilling the Tempest,” after Hamilton; “The Song of the Angels,” after Thomas Moran; “Evangeline”; and various portraits after Thomas Sully, John Neagle, and others. He has principally devoted himself to engraving portraits and other plates for books. He holds offices in the Artists' fund society, the Franklin institute, and other art and scientific societies of Philadelphia. — Another son, William, b. in Philadelphia, Pa., 21 Nov., 1843, practised engraving under his father until about his twenty-fourth year, producing some very good plates, notably “Young America crushing Rebellion and Sedition ” (1864) and “Little Samuel,” after James Sant (1866). During 1867-'8 he studied under Christian Schuessele and at the Pennsylvania academy. He then went to Europe, where he studied with Leon Bonnat and at the École des beaux arts, in Paris. After an absence of eight years he returned to the United States in 1877, settling in New York, where he was elected an associate of the National academy in 1880. He was one of the original members of the Society of American artists, and is a member also of other art associations. He received a silver medal in Boston in 1881, and honorable mention in Philadelphia in 1887. Mr. Sartain paints both landscape and figure subjects. Many of his pictures represent street scenes in Italy and Algiers. Among his works are “Tombs of the Saints, at Bouzareah” (1874); “Italian Boy's Head” and “Italian Girl's Head” (1876); “Narcissus” (1878), owned by Smith college, Northampton, Mass.; “Nubian Sheik” (1879); “A Quiet Moment” (1879-'80); “A Chapter of the Koran” and “Paquita” (1883). An exhibition of his works was held in Boston in 1884. He is well known as a teacher, and has been connected with several art academies in New York and Philadelphia. — John's daughter, Emily, artist, b. in Philadelphia, 17 March, 1841, first practised art as an engraver under her father. She studied from 1864 till 1872 at the Pennsylvania academy under Christian Schuessele, and then, until 1875, with Evariste Luminais in Paris. Her style in engraving is a mixture of line and mezzotint. She has engraved some framing prints, and a large number of portraits for book-illustration. As a painter, she has devoted herself principally to portraiture, painting genre pictures occasionally. Her “Reproof” was at the Centennial exhibition of 1876, where she gained a medal. The “Mary Smith prize” was awarded her at the Philadelphia academy in 1881, and again in 1883. From November, 1881, till February, 1883, she was art editor of “Our Continent,” and since September, 1886, she has been principal of the Philadelphia school of design for women.