If there ever was an artist who needed to emerge from the shadow of a better-known contemporary, it would be Sturtevant J. Hamblin. Countless biographical sketches of Hamblin begin by describing him as the younger brother-in-law and likely pupil of the celebrated folk portrait painter William Matthew Prior (1806–1873), thus inadvertently deemphasizing his own accomplishments as an artist.
William Matthew Prior Remembered
William Matthew Prior (1806–1873) has been repeatedly explored as an artist and historical figure of some interest. His human side, however, has been neglected over the years in favor of much-needed historical research and stylistic analysis, and no image of him has ever been cited or published, until now.