“Of what use is art if it cannot clothe an idea in pictures that speak from within as the heart speaks through a smile or a tear." - William T. Trego, 1891
He was a painter who could barely hold a brush. He had to move his entire body to mix his colors. Yet William T. Trego (1858-1909) was a prize-winning artist with an international reputation, and his highly detailed and powerful battle scenes from the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War were widely exhibited and critically acclaimed during the late 19th century.
Partially paralyzed as a child (most likely due to polio), Trego never experienced the horrors of war, but his uncanny ability to portray battle from the point of view of fighting men and horses was much admired.
An exhibition of his works, “So Bravely and So Well: The Life and Art of William T. Trego,” is on view through October 2 at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The exhibit is in the museum’s Paton/Smith/Della Penna-Fernberger Galleries, and is sponsored by Sharon & Syd Martin, with additional support from Marguerite Lenfest in memory of Leonie Herpin; the Pfundt Foundation; and Penn Color, Inc.
Trained by his father (artist Jonathan K. Trego), William Trego went on to study at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Académie Julian in Paris. Two of his works were accepted in the annual Paris Salon exhibits. His decision to devote himself to military history painting was made early on, a choice possibly influenced by the American Civil War, which raged during the years of his childhood. Despite his severe physical challenges, Trego created his dramatic battle scenes with meticulous care, staging re-creations of battle scenes outdoors with models wearing authentic uniforms drawn from his private collection. Only after making countless charcoal sketches and working up individual men and horses in detailed oil studies did he begin applying paint to his final canvas.
“The William Trego project is our most ambitious scholarly project to date,” said the Michener’s Chief Curator Brian H. Peterson. “And what a colorful and tragic story this is! Anyone interested in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, history, or for that matter the history of American art, owes a great debt to Joe Eckhardt for his thorough and disciplined search for the truth about this fascinating painter.”
“If we filled the Michener galleries with Trego’s art and said nothing about the artist’s life, visitors would marvel at his skill and leave impressed by the work they had seen,” said Guest Curator Joseph P. Eckhardt, Emeritus Professor of History at Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. “But we are showcasing the artist’s life as well as his art, and I think that is going to have another effect on visitors. I believe most patrons will leave the galleries not only impressed by his work, but inspired by an encounter with a truly remarkable human being.“
Professor Eckhardt has been researching the life and work of William T. Trego since 2007 and was instrumental in arranging for the State of Pennsylvania to install a State Historical Marker at Trego’s former home in North Wales, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in 2008. In support of his research and his assistance in the preparation of the William T. Trego biography, exhibit, and online catalogue raisonné, the James A. Michener Art Museum awarded Professor Eckhardt the Helen Hartman Gemmill Research Fellowship for the years 2010 and 2011.
According to the online catalogue, “While living in Detroit and training as an apprentice in the studio of his father, artist Jonathan K. Trego, William Trego exhibited his art work in public for the first time. His drawings and paintings were very well received and he won several prizes. The Detroit Free Press took a keen interest in his work and frequently commented on it. “This youth gives promise of talent which will make his name known among the artists of America,” the newspaper predicted in 1879. They were right.
The Michener has published the online catalogue as a permanent extension of the Michener website, with the hope of reaching the widest possible audience and allowing the flexibility of making adjustments. There are still dozens of William Trego’s works as yet unlocated. “We encourage anyone who owns an example of Trego’s art or who knows of possible locations of his works, to contact us,” says the Michener.
Referencing Trego’s Genre Works and Final Paintings, (1895-1908), the catalogue states, “Trego’'s late genre and religious works display a range of styles, subjects, and levels of quality. Some, like Goldenrod and Aster, seem to have been done rather quickly and playfully. Others, like his first version of Madonna and Child, show the same care for effect and meticulous detail that characterized his best military paintings. He drew upon local residents and their animals as inspiration for some works and turned to great literature, the work of other contemporary artists, and even the paintings of his late father as inspiration for others. Taken together, these paintings present the image of an artist adrift with no particular focus to his work.”
Curator Joseph P. Eckhardt’s previous publications include a biography of film pioneer Siegmund Lubin (The King of the Movies, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1997), and numerous articles on the early film industry published both in the United States and Europe. He founded and maintains the Betzwood Film Archive and Film Festival at Montgomery County Community College.
“So Bravely and So Well” marks the 150-year anniversary of the start of the American Civil War. In addition, the Michener Art Museum is again opening its doors as a Blue Star Museum. A joint program of the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families and 900 participating museums across the 50 states and the District of Columbia, Blue Star Museums offer free admission to all active-duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day (September 5.)
The James A. Michener Art Museum is located at 138 South Pine Street, Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Museum hours: Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.michenerartmuseum.org or call (215) 340-9800.
The James A. Michener Art Museum collects, preserves, interprets and exhibits American art, with a focus on art of the Bucks County region. The museum presents changing exhibitions that explore a variety of artistic expressions, and offers a diverse program of educational activities that seeks to develop a lifelong involvement in the arts as well as nurture a wide range of audiences. The museum also seeks to educate the community about nationally and internationally known Bucks County artists of all creative disciplines. The James A. Michener Art Museum is located at 138 South Pine Street in Doylestown, Pennsylvania 18901. For more information on hours and admission rates, contact the museum at (215) 340-9800 or visit www.michenerartmuseum.org.