William B. T. Trego | |
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 William B. T. Trego in his studio in 1893 | |
| Born | September 15, 1858 (1858-09-15) Yardley, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | June 24, 1909 (1909-06-25) |
| Education | Jonathan K. Trego, Thomas Eakins, Tony Robert-Fleury, William-Adolphe Bouguereau |
| Known for | Painting |
William Brooke Thomas Trego (September 15, 1858 – June 24, 1909) was an Americanpainter best known for his historicalmilitary subjects, in particular scenes of theAmerican Revolution andCivil War.[1]
William B. T. Trego was born inYardley,Bucks County,Pennsylvania, in 1858, the son of the artistJonathan Kirkbridge Trego and Emily Roberts née Thomas. At the age of two William's hands and feet became nearly paralyzed, either frompolio, or from a doctor administering a dose ofcalomel (mercurous chloride). Trego's family moved to Detroit in 1874 where William was enrolled in the local school, but an incident where 16-year-old William burned off all his hair with agas jet made his father decide to teach William in his studio from then on. Despite his crippled hands, young William showed an aptitude for art, learning to paint with a brush jammed in his right hand while he guided it with his left.[2] William Trego first received public attention when he exhibited a painting titledThe Charge of Custer at Winchester in 1879 at theMichigan State Fair. His depiction ofGeorge Armstrong Custer's charge at theThird Battle of Winchester was described by theCleveland Press as "one of the best historical paintings of the kind that has ever been produced by an American artist."[3]
Later that year, Trego used the proceeds from the sale ofThe Charge of Custer at Winchester to enroll himself at thePennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania.[4] He studied at PAFA for three years underThomas Eakins, in courses that included instruction on aspects of the human figure, including anatomical study of the human and animal body and surgical dissection. Trego did not appreciate Eakins' rigorous, terse teaching style, and would later remark:
In an 1882 Academy exhibition, Trego won the first Toppan Prize for his work,Battery of Light Artillery en Route, and the painting was subsequently purchased for the Academy byFairman Rogers. In 1883, Trego received what he thought was a snub from the Academy when the art jury for the Temple Competition of Historical Paintings, a competition intended to help revive historical painting by limiting entries to depictions of the American War of Independence",[5] decided there were no paintings of sufficient quality to merit a 1st or second place, and awarded Trego 3rd place for his painting ofGeorge Washington and his troops calledThe March to Valley Forge.[6] Trego sued the Academy on the grounds that if his painting was the best overall, it should receive first place (and he should get the $3,000 prize money). In 1886, he lost the case, with thePennsylvania Supreme Court ruling the jury was well within their rights under the contract of the exhibit to award prizes as they saw fit.[7]
After leaving the Academy, Trego lived inNorth Wales, Pennsylvania, with his mother and father. Except for trips abroad, Trego would live in North Wales for the rest of his life, working in a studio behind his house. He used the town residents, their horses, and the surrounding landscape as models and backdrops for his paintings. Trego was becoming well known for the accuracy of his military depictions as well as the honest, sometimes brutal realism, especially in his Civil War subjects[8] The Civil War works were well received and Trego had much success selling paintings during that time.
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In 1887, he went to Paris to study at theAcadémie Julian under theFrenchacademic paintersTony Robert-Fleury andWilliam-Adolphe Bouguereau. Trego studied at the French museums while he was there and enjoyed the Paris night life with other Pennsylvania Academy alumni such asRobert Henri,Augustus B. Koopman,Henry McCarter, andFrederick J. Waugh.[9] Trego also participated in theParis Salons of 1889 and 1890, gaining some recognition for his 1889 submission, a military painting titledThe End of the Charge of von Bredow’s Brigade at Rezonville depicting German cavalry units charge against French during theFranco-Prussian War. One French writer thought this work put Trego on par with the famous French academic military artist,Édouard Detaille.[10] On his ocean voyage home from Paris in 1890, Trego returned to America not only with new found knowledge of French academic painting, he also returned with a French fiancée. But in a sad and very public event on board ship, the "handsome French girl" (as reported in the newspapers of the time)[11] switched her affections to fellow Académie Julian student[12]James R. Fisher.[13] When they arrived in Philadelphia the news papers reported the two artists as parting "bitter enemies".
After his return to the States, Trego's work received much acclaim from critics. In 1891, noted American art collectorThomas Benedict Clarke wrote of Trego:
Despite these accolades and the prestige of exhibiting in the Paris Salon, Trego found it hard to sell paintings due to the declining in popularity ofrealistic military artwork. He painted portraits andgenre paintings to make money and took on work doing book and magazine illustration. He also tried unsuccessfully to become an instructor at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. He lived with, and was supported by, his parents during the 1890s. Trego's father died in 1901 and his stepmother died six years later. Trego's increasing financial problems during this time made him take on students includingWalter Emerson Baum and his wife, Flora. Trego tried to revive his career by basing a painting on the popular novelBen Hur with one of his last works,The Chariot Race from Ben Hur (1908). He sent it to the 1909National Academy of Design exhibition in New York but it failed to spark any interest.[15] William Trego was found unconscious in his studio on June 24, 1909, and was dead by the time the doctor arrived. His obituary inThe New York Times reported that he died of "overexertion" due to "excessive heat".[16] The cause of death specified on his death certificate was a supposed suicide by the administration of some unknown poison.[17] The contents of his North Wales studio were left toWalter Emerson Baum.
| Designations | |
|---|---|
| Official name | William B. T. Trego (1858-1909) |
| Type | City |
| Criteria | Artists, Military |
| Location | 509 E Montgomery Ave.,North Wales |
During his lifetime, Trego had painted over 200 historical and military paintings. These would become so widely published after his death that writerEdwin Augustus Peeples commented:
In 1976, Trego'sThe March to Valley Forge had become such an iconic image of that event that it was reproduced as a souvenir postage sheet issued by theUnited States Postal Service as part of the observance of theUnited States Bicentennial. It is currently on loan from theMuseum of the American Revolution toValley Forge National Historical Park.
A book was published about Trego's life,So Bravely and So Well: The Life and Art of William T. Trego, by Joseph P. Eckhardt, in 2011.
Trego's work is represented in many permanent collections including:[19][20]
Due to the administration of some unknown Poison supposed to be Suicide at residence #509 East Montgomery Ave. North Wales. Mont. Co. State of Penna. June 24th 1909 11:30 a.m. Body found contributory cause melancholia.
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