Chester Harding (1792–1866)

[self-portrait, c. 1860. From A Sketch of Chester Harding, Artist: Drawn by His Own Hand. Ed. Margaret E. White. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1929. REF 921 H219s]

Chester Harding was a self-taught portrait painter. He was born in Massachusetts in 1792. Harding spent his early adult years in the state of New York, struggling to earn a living as a cabinet maker. In debt, he fled with his wife and child to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where an acquaintance suggested he open a sign-painteršs shop.

A traveling portrait painter came through town and painted pictures of Harding and his wife. Harding was fascinated with the idea of portraiture and used his work paints to create a picture of his wife. The portrait turned out surprisingly well. Portrait orders rolled in, and Harding saved enough money to afford classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of Design. He traveled and painted portraits the remainder of his life. Harding spent a great deal of time in St. Louis, Washington, DC, London, and Boston.

In 1820, Harding was working in St. Louis, Missouri. After he heard that the famed pioneer Daniel Boone lived in the area, Harding set out to find him. Harding made the trip to St. Charles County and found Boone living several miles off the beaten path in an old block house. Boone agreed to sit for Chester Harding. Hardingšs portrait was the only one painted during Boonešs lifetime.

While working on the portrait, Harding reportedly asked Daniel Boone if he had ever been lost. Boone replied, “No, I can’t say as ever I was lost, but I was bewildered once for three days.” This quote is often used in biographies of Daniel Boone. This was the portrait Harding was finishing when young George Caleb Bingham met him in Franklin, Missouri.

After Harding created this famous portrait of Daniel Boone from life, he completed two more portraits based on the first one. Many images of Daniel Boone are based on these three paintings by Harding.

Charles Harding painted many legendary faces. Other famous pictures include portraits of Chief Justice John Marshall and Civil War Major General William T. Sherman.