View William Matthew Prior’s artworks on artnet. Organized by the Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York, this exhibition includes more than 40 oil paintings spanning William Matthew Prior’s career from 1824 to 1856. Matthew Prior/Painter/Portland Maine/October 12, 1825.” Oil on canvas, 24 x 20 inches.

Through his pragmatic marketing strategy, Prior was able to document the faces of middle-class Americans throughout his lifetime, making art accessible to a previously overlooked group. William Matthew Prior was one of the most prominent and influential folk portrait painters of the nineteenth century. Limit to works with online images. View William Matthew Prior’s artworks on artnet. William Matthew Prior American, 1806 - 1873. Courtesy, Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, N.Y. (2010).

Learn about the artist and find an in-depth biography, exhibitions, original artworks, the latest news, and sold auction prices. William Matthew Prior (1806–1873) Self-Portrait—The Artist As a Young Man, Portland, Maine, 1825 On verso: “Prior W M” and “W. Filter results by: Works on View. William Matthew Prior was born May 16, 1806, in Bath, Maine, the fourth child of Captain Matthew (1774–1815) and Esther Bryant Prior (1781–1842).

Biography; Works of Art; Artist Bibliography; Related Content . Today, William Matthew Prior is among the most sought-after names in American folk art. Online Images. He was born in Bath, Maine, in 1806, the second son of … Classification. The extent of Prior’s early schooling is unknown, but the town of Bath, called the “city of ships,” was unusually cosmopolitan for a relatively rural outpost. His portraits sell anywhere from a few thousand dollars up to $50,000. Limit to works on view. The flatter the picture, the better — because for true enthusiasts of this genre, Prior’s portraits lack depth but not substance. Learn about the artist and find an in-depth biography, exhibitions, original artworks, the latest news, and sold auction prices.