Talk:Benjamin West

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There is additional information about the topic Benjamin West in the public domain Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition in the article(s) Benjamin_West. If you think the information is appropriate for Wikipedia, please include it into this article and add the {{EB1911}} tag if necessary. When you have completed the review, replace this notice with a simple note on this article's talk page. Thanks from the participants in the WikiProject Encyclopaedia Britannica.

A Certain Lameness

This is an article about a very prominent colonial who held important posts in the metropolis during the American Revolution. As such, it seems that the stance he took during the conflict would be significant. The article, however, says nothing on the subject, which renders it somewhat lame. Would any contributors have anything to offer regarding Mr. West's political positioning before/during/after the American Revolution? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 186.6.153.219 (talk) 01:11, 21 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

He considered himself to be a friend of/sucked up to George III, so he couldn't be much of a revolutionary. That said, all you have to do is come up with solid evidence, e.g. reported speech, of his political views - which might be rather difficult. Smallbones (talk) 01:33, 21 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I looked up this article to learn about that very issue. Really unfortunate it doesn't address this at all. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.210.152.1 (talk) 16:12, 7 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Was Benjamin West a Quaker?

I'm thinking that Benjamin West should be removed from Category:Quakers. He's listed as a "famous Quaker" on several sites but I just found this which is further supported by the following passages from Alberts' "Benjamin West: A Biography":

"[John West] had been a Quaker - every person born of Quaker parents was a member of that religious fellowship at birth - but he did not carry with him a certificate of transfer, which meant that he was not in good standing with the Society of Friends when he left England." (7)

"Sarah Pearson, too, had been a birthright Quaker, but now for some unknown reason ... she had been 'disowned', read out of meeting. The marriage ceremony, of course, was not conducted according to the rules of the Society of Friends, and so the children of John and Sarah Pearson West, of whom there were ten, were not registered at meeting and were not Quakers. The point is an important one, for Benjamin, their youngest child, was widely believed to be a Quaker..." (8) Rampart 14:28, 20 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Given his glorification of war in the "Death of Wolfe" it isn't likely that he was a practicing Quaker. Smallbones (talk) 01:35, 21 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

West wasn't a Quaker & that category should be removed. There's been quite a bit of scholarship disproving this, and there never was any evidence for it. He did depict his father in Quaker dress in a family portrait (and even inserted his father's likeness in his famous "Penn's Treaty with the Indians") but West never demonstrated any Quaker affiliations and, indeed, his social and political associations were quite different (his early patrons were strongly opposed to Quaker rule in Pa., for instance). Jericlifs (talk) 16:20, 30 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Rebellion/Revolution

I am reverting Rebellion to Revolution as Revolution is the more commonly known term for the period and Rebellion might be a violation of NPOV from the side of the Brittish. Cobalty 12:28, 3 Jun 2005 (UTC)

New file File:Benjamin West by John Downman.jpg

Recently the file File:Benjamin West by John Downman.jpg (right) was uploaded and it appears to be relevant to this article and not currently used by it. If you're interested and think it would be a useful addition, please feel free to include it. Dcoetzee 01:19, 2 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

New file File:Mr. West and Family by Georg Siegmund Facius.jpg

Recently the file File:Mr. West and Family by Georg Siegmund Facius.jpg (right) was uploaded and it appears to be relevant to this article and not currently used by it. If you're interested and think it would be a useful addition, please feel free to include it. Dcoetzee 07:39, 15 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Clarifying West's Engagement

The first paragraph in the section entitled "England" begins by mentioning that subsequent to August 1763 West "never returned to America". The next paragraph begins: "In 1765 he married Elizabeth Shewell, an American to whom he became engaged in Philadelphia ..." Assuming that the Philadelphia being mentioned is the major city in Pennsylvania, this might seem to be contradict the previous paragraph. Perhaps it would be clearer to change from the past tense ("to whom he became") to the past perfect ("to whom he had become"). Alternatively, one could provide the year of his engagement, if known. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Rdvaldesdapena (talk • contribs) 12:29, 23 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Dates

From 1746 to 1759, West worked in Pennsylvania, mostly painting portraits.

Are you sure he was working at the age of seven or eight? Valetude (talk) 23:59, 22 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Fake or Fortune?

In 2021 a preparatory sketch for one of West's paintings of The Last Supper, which had been bought on eBay by a Welsh farmer, for £50, was authenticated in the BBC art history programme Fake or Fortune? and was valued by art dealer Philip Mould at around £50,000. [1] Martinevans123 (talk) 21:22, 17 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]