William Matthew Prior

William Matthew Prior worked in New England, though he traveled widely in search of painting commissions. He painted oil portraits and a few landscapes, as well as reverse glass portraits of famous people, such as George and Martha Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, and Napoléon Bonaparte. Prior advertised his services in New England newspapers in the 1820s, indicating that he did oil painting, bronzing, oil gilding, varnishing, and mechanical drawings, though he primarily worked as a portraitist.