William Robinson Leigh was an American🎨 artist and illustrator, who was known for his painted Western scenes. William Robinson Leigh was born at Maidstone Manor Farm, Berkeley County, West Virginia.
He entered the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts (now known as Maryland Institute College of Art) at age 14, then attended the Royal Academy in Munich.
He returned to the United States after twelve years abroad and worked painting cycloramas and as a magazine illustrator.
He married twice, and fathered William Colston Leigh, Sr. (1901-1992).
His first wife was Anna Seng Leigh, mother of his son, their marriage ended in a divorce sometime before 1906. His second wife was Ethel Traphagen Leigh (1883-1963), was the founder of Traphagen School of Fashion in New York City.
In 1906, Leigh traveled to the American West and maintained a studio in New York City.
In 1926 he travelled to Africa at the invitation of Carl Akeley for the American Museum of Natural History, and from this experience wrote and illustrated Frontiers of Enchantment: An Artist's Adventures in Africa.
In 1933, he wrote and illustrated "The Western Pony". His adventures were chronicled in a number of popular magazines including Life, the Saturday Evening Post and Colliers.
He is known for painting the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Park, but his primary interest were the Hopi and Navajo Indians.
In 1953 he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member and became a full Academician in 1955.
After his death, Leigh's New York studio was given to the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma. | © Wikipedia
William Robinson Leigh nacque a Maidstone Manor Farm, Berkeley County, West Virginia. Entrò nel Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts (ora noto come Maryland Institute College of Art) all'età di 14 anni, poi ha frequentato la Royal Academy di Monaco.
Tornò negli Stati Uniti dopo dodici anni all'estero e ha lavorato alla pittura di ciclorami e come illustratore di riviste.
Si sposò due volte e generò William Colston Leigh, Sr. (1901-1992).
La sua prima moglie era Anna Seng Leigh, madre di suo figlio; il loro matrimonio finì con un divorzio prima del 1906. La sua seconda moglie fu Ethel Traphagen Leigh (1883-1963), fu la fondatrice della Traphagen School of Fashion di New York Città.
Nel 1906, Leigh viaggiò nel West americano e mantenne uno studio a New York City.
Nel 1926 viaggiò in Africa su invito di Carl Akeley per l'American Museum of Natural History, e da questa esperienza scrisse e illustrò "Frontiers of Enchantment: An Artist's Adventures in Africa".
Nel 1933 scrisse ed illustrò The Western Pony.
Le sue avventure furono raccontate in numerose riviste popolari tra cui Life, il Saturday Evening Post e Colliers.
È noto per aver dipinto il Grand Canyon e il Parco nazionale di Yellowstone, ma il suo interesse principale erano gli indiani Hopi e Navajo.
Nel 1953 fu eletto nella National Academy of Design come membro associato e divenne un accademico a pieno titolo nel 1955.
Dopo la sua morte, lo studio di Leigh a New York fu ceduto al Gilcrease Museum di Tulsa, in Oklahoma.
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