Thomas Buchanan Read

Thomas Buchanan Read (March 12, 1822 – May 11, 1872) was an American poet and painter. His portraits

include many famous individuals including Robert Browning, Joseph Harrison Jr., William Henry Harrison, Abraham Lincoln, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Alfred Tennyson.

He first achieved national prominence in Cincinnati, Ohio. He studied under sculptor Shobal Vail Clevenger and opened an art studio sponsored by wealthy horticulturist Nicholas Longworth. He chafed under criticism from Longworth and moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he befriended poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and painter Washington Allston. He moved to Rome, Italy, and opened a studio, but achieved most of his artistic success while living in Florence, Italy. He was briefly associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He returned to the United States during the American Civil War and served as a major in the Union Army.