William McKendree Snyder (American, 1848-1930)

Active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, William McKendree Snyder was one of the first artists to paint in Brown County, Indiana, thus becoming a forerunner of the Brown County Art Colony.

In 1861, Snyder enlisted in the Union army as a drummer boy during the American Civil War. He was subsequently captured and miraculously survived the “Andersonville Prison” (also known as Camp Sumter), a Confederate prison-of-war camp. During the 14 months the camp existed, close to 13,000 men died from disease, poor sanitation, malnutrition and exposure.

During the years from 1868-1870 Snyder studied portraiture with John Insco Williams in Cincinnati before traveling east for private instruction with some of America’s most highly acclaimed and influential Hudson River School artists of his time such as Albert Bierstadt, Charles Warren Eaton, William Morris Hunt and George Inness. He is especially known for his highly detailed interior forest scenes, which often included his beloved beech trees.

His work is in numerous public and private collections, including the Indiana State Museum and Hanover College.

Studied

John Insco Williams, Cincinnati 1869; W.M. Hunt, Boston; A. Bierstadt, George Inness, and A.H. Wyant in NYC in 1872-75

Work

Mostly in private collections

References

Gerdts, Art Across America; R. Traut