Porter, Rufus, 1792-1884
Biography
Rufus M. Porter was born on May 1, 1792 in West Boxford, Massachusettes. In 1801, the family moved to Maine where he attended Fryeburg Academy. In 1890 he was apprenticed to a shoemaker. By 1816 Porter was living in New Haven, Connecticut, where he had a dancing school and began painting portraits. In 1818–1819 he made a trading voyage to the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii, and in 1819 Porter had returned to painting. He traveled by coach and on foot, painting portraits throughout New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. He became a prolific muralist between 1825 and 1845, decorating some 160 houses and inns in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and as far south as Virginia. Porter was also an inventor and founder of the "Scientific American" Magazine. He died on August 13, 1884.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Orford murals collection
Orford Murals Collection. The collection contains photographs of the murals painted by Rufus Porter, discovered in the Dyar Hinckley house on Orford Ridge in Orford.