Portrait of the Artist

Sometimes you don’t have to look very far to find iconic artists. Such
is the case for Richard Caton Woodville, who was born and raised in Mt.
Vernon and created some of the most well-known paintings of the
antebellum era.

An exhibition of his work begins at The Walters Art
Museum on March 10. “This is the most important Baltimore-born artist of
the 19th century,” says Joy Peterson Heyrman, exhibition curator and
deputy director of development. “His social commentary and incredible
technique reveal elements of history that we can easily overlook.”

At
the age of 20, Woodville, pictured in a self-portrait, moved to Germany
where he painted depictions of current events (his famous “War News from
Mexico”) and changes in technology (photography and the railroad).
Woodville’s career was cut short when he died from a morphine overdose
at age 30, but the Walters is planning to exhibit his entire known
collection of 16 paintings and some works that haven’t been on view.

“It
will be revealing to people that someone 160 years ago is dealing with
the same issues today,” Heyrman says. “The idea of rapid technological
change.”