Ammi Phillips: Early American Dog Artist

Ammi Phillips was a self-taught Early American portrait artist who lived from 1788-1865.  Dogs, symbols of fidelity, sometimes appear in his work.   I’ve featured him before on July 4th, in 2007, with a portrait of a Girl in a Red Dress that looked surprisingly like my niece, Lucy.  I  couldn’t resist featuring him again after discovering one of the best collections I’ve ever seen of his work at Barbara’s blog, 19th-Century American Women, a fascinating blog to poke around if you’re looking for something to do this weekend.  I especially like her post on 19th-century women playing tennis.

Happy 4th of July!  Have a great weekend.