John Wesley Jarvis

By many accounts, John Wesley Jarvis was a flamboyant, eccentric person. Biographical sketches invariably include accounts of his outrageous fashion sense, his drunken adventures, and his uproarious storytelling. Born in England, he was brought to Philadelphia at five years old. At 16, he was apprenticed to a portrait painter and engraver. Jarvis eventually broke out on his own, developing a reputation as a sought-after portraitist and consummate storyteller.