Who Was Benjamin West?

West grew up in a Quaker family in Pennsylvania, where his father kept an inn. He had very little formal schooling, but his talent showed early, and his first commissions were portraits, first of children and then of neighbours around Lancaster. Ambition took him to Italy, where he spent about three years studying the old masters. The Cleveland Museum of Art describes him as the first American artist to study there. In August 1763 he settled in London, and he never returned to Pennsylvania.

In London his career rose quickly. In 1768 he was one of the artists who presented the king with a plan for a Royal Academy. In 1772 George III named him Historical Painter to the King, a post that came with an annual allowance of 1,000 pounds, and West reportedly turned down a knighthood. When Sir Joshua Reynolds died in 1792, West succeeded him as president of the Royal Academy. He held that role, apart from a single year, until his own death in London on 11 March 1820.

Why Benjamin West Matters

• He changed how history was painted. In The Death of General Wolfe he showed a recent battle with the soldiers in their real uniforms, instead of dressing them as ancient heroes. The painting became one of the most reproduced images of its time.
• He taught a generation of American artists. The Metropolitan Museum of Art lists Charles Willson Peale, Gilbert Stuart, John Trumbull, Ralph Earl, Washington Allston, Thomas Sully and Samuel F. B. Morse among the painters who passed through his studio. Stuart became his pupil in 1777.
• He lived between two worlds. West was born in colonial America but spent his working life in Britain, which is why he is often described as an Anglo-American painter.

Famous Paintings by Benjamin West

• The Death of General Wolfe (1770). A scene from the Siege of Quebec during the French and Indian War. Exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1771. The best-known version is in the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.
• Penn’s Treaty with the Indians (1772). A scene of William Penn’s famous treaty with Native Americans in colonial Pennsylvania.
• Agrippina Landing at Brundisium with the Ashes of Germanicus (1768). A subject from ancient Roman history, painted in 1768, a few years after he settled in London.
• Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky (about 1816). Held by the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
• Death on a Pale Horse (1817). A dramatic late work that points ahead to French Romantic painting.

The Paintings in This Gallery

The notes below follow museum catalogues and art-history references. Where sources give slightly different dates, the text says “about” or “around”.

Mrs. Benjamin West and Her Son Raphael

West painted this tender double portrait of his wife, Elizabeth Shewell, and their son Raphael more than once. The version in the Cleveland Museum of Art is dated around 1770. West modelled the composition on Raphael’s famous Madonna of the Chair, and he named his eldest son after the Italian Renaissance master, so the link is deliberate.

Isaac’s Servant Trying the Bracelet on Rebecca’s Arm (1775)

This painting illustrates a story from the Book of Genesis, in which a servant of the family meets Rebecca, the future wife of Isaac, and offers her a bracelet. Biblical scenes like this one were a staple of the history painting tradition West worked in.

Helen Brought to Paris (1776)

This neoclassical painting shows Helen of Troy being led towards Paris by Venus and her son Cupid, a moment tied to the Judgement of Paris in Greek myth. It measures 143.3 by 198.3 cm and belongs to the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Some writers have drawn a parallel between this myth, which ends in the Trojan War, and the American Revolution that was under way when West painted it. West himself had mixed feelings about that conflict because of his close ties to George III.

Hagar and Ishmael (1776, reworked 1803)

This painting shows Ishmael and his mother Hagar after they were sent away from Abraham’s household, a story told in Genesis 21. West first exhibited it at the Royal Academy in 1776. In 1803 he changed the figures and background, repainted the angel and added drapery. A controversy followed, and he was finally allowed to exhibit the reworked picture in 1806. It is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Peter Beckford (1797)

This is a posthumous portrait. Peter Beckford, born in Jamaica in the 1670s, died in 1735, and his grandson William Beckford commissioned West to paint him decades later, in part to suggest a nobler family lineage. The map of Jamaica in the picture refers to the fortune behind the family, which came from sugar plantations worked by enslaved people. The painting is signed and dated “B.West 1797” and belongs to the Brooklyn Museum.

Portrait of Ann Barbara Hill Medlycott

Art databases list this portrait as dated 1788, measuring about 74 by 61.5 cm and held in a private collection. It shows West’s skill at the elegant society portrait, with fine attention to lace, pearls and fabric.

Raphael West and Benjamin West Jr., Sons of the Artist

West painted his two sons together more than once. The version in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City is dated about 1796 and shows them as serious young men with a relaxed, affectionate pose. Both sons went on to work in their father’s studio.

The Damsel and Orlando (about 1793)

This painting comes from Ludovico Ariosto’s epic poem Orlando Furioso (1516). The hero Orlando learns that Angelica now loves someone else, and she has put aside a jeweled bracelet he once gave her. West concentrates the drama in Orlando’s theatrical pose as grief drives him out of his mind. The Metropolitan Museum of Art says the poses recall the Italian High Renaissance, which West greatly admired. Notice that a bracelet also appears in the Rebecca painting above, which makes a good small detail to look for.

How to Spot a Benjamin West Painting

• Big stories. Many of his best-known works take their subjects from history, the Bible, classical myth or poetry.
• Renaissance poses. Figures often stand or twist in ways that recall Raphael and other Italian masters.
• Stage-like emotion. Grief, surprise and heroism are shown through clear, theatrical gestures.
• Meaningful props. A map, a bracelet or a drape is rarely just decoration. Each one helps tell the story.

Where to See Benjamin West Paintings Today

• National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa: The Death of General Wolfe
• Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: Hagar and Ishmael and The Damsel and Orlando
• Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.: Helen Brought to Paris
• Brooklyn Museum, New York: Peter Beckford
• Cleveland Museum of Art: Elizabeth Shewell West and Her Son, Raphael
• Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City: Raphael West and Benjamin West Jr., Sons of the Artist
• Philadelphia Museum of Art: Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky

Museums rotate their displays, and some of these works are not always on view. Check the museum’s website before you plan a visit.

Frequently Asked Questions About Benjamin West

Who was Benjamin West?

Benjamin West (1738–1820) was an American-born painter who spent his working life in Britain. He became Historical Painter to George III and the second president of the Royal Academy.

Where was Benjamin West born?

He was born on 10 October 1738 in Springfield, Pennsylvania, in the area now known as Swarthmore, to a Quaker family. His father was an innkeeper.

What is Benjamin West famous for?

He is best known for The Death of General Wolfe (1770), which showed a modern event in contemporary dress, and for his role as a leader of the Royal Academy and a teacher of American artists.

Was Benjamin West American or British?

Both, in a sense. He was born in colonial Pennsylvania and settled in London in 1763, so he is usually called an American-born British painter or an Anglo-American painter.

Who did Benjamin West teach?

Many American artists studied with him in London, including Gilbert Stuart, John Trumbull, Charles Willson Peale, Thomas Sully and Samuel F. B. Morse.

How did Benjamin West become president of the Royal Academy?

He was one of the artists who helped launch the Academy in 1768. After its first president, Sir Joshua Reynolds, died in 1792, West was elected to succeed him.

Keep Exploring on Fine Art and You

If you enjoyed this gallery, browse more 18th century painters, our collection of historical paintings and portrait paintings, or the wider art history and paintings sections. You may also like 30 Most Amazing and Beautiful Oil Paintings You’ll Love and the full site map of artists.

Sources and further reading