Early Life and Influences
William Aiken Walker, an American artist, was born on March 11, 1839, in Charleston, South Carolina, to an Irish Protestant father and a mother of South Carolina background. Following his father's passing in 1842, Walker's mother relocated the family to Baltimore, Maryland, where they remained until returning to Charleston in 1848.
Artistic Career
Walker is best known for his genre paintings, particularly those depicting the lives of poor black emancipated slaves, especially sharecroppers in the post-Reconstruction American South. Two of his notable works were reproduced by Currier and Ives as chromolithographs. During the American Civil War, Walker enlisted in the Confederate army and served under General Wade Hampton. He was wounded at the Battle of Seven Pines (1862) and later assigned picket duty, which allowed him to paint.
Notable Works
Museums and Collections
Walker's work can be found in various museums, including the
Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South Carolina, which is one of the premier art museums in the United States. The Gibbes Museum features a rich collection of American art from the colonial period to the present day.
Legacy
William Aiken Walker continued painting until his death on January 3, 1921, in Charleston, where he is buried in the family plot at Magnolia Cemetery. His legacy as an artist who captured the lives of black sharecroppers remains significant in American art history.
Discover the enigmatic world of William Aiken Walker's art, a testament to his unique perspective on American history.