Alfred J. Wiggin

Alfred James Wiggin or A. J. Wiggin (1823–1883) was an American artist active in Massachusetts, known mainly for his painted portraits and landscapes. He lived in Gloucester and Boston.[1][2][3]

Work

Examples of his work are in the collections of the Cape Ann Museum;[4][5] Historic New England;[5] Lafayette College;[6] the Peabody Essex Museum;[6] and the Sandy Bay Historical Society.[6]

Wiggin worked as a commissioned artist, providing artistic services to clients across Massachusetts. As a result, he produced many portraits – the exact number of which is undetermined.[7] He also produced landscapes on commission, such as an 1859 oil color of a house in nearby Annisquam for a homesick sea captain.[8]

Wiggin produced portraits of several significant American figures of the mid 19th century. He painted Zachary Taylor in July 1851, a year after the president's death. In 1869, he produced a portrait of General Benjamin Butler, who was then a member of the House of Representatives for Wiggin's local district.

Gallery

• 
  Eliza Dennison Wiggin and Child, 1836, oil on canvas - Cape Ann Museum - Gloucester, MA
• 
  General Benjamin Butler, 1869, oil on canvas - Cape Ann Museum - Gloucester, MA

References

1. Ruth Wolfe. "A Passion For The Past Archived 2012-02-17 at the Wayback Machine: The Little Collection At Cogswell's Grant." Antiques, 1998.
2. Boston Directory. 1873
3. Somerville City Directory. 1883
4. "Cape Ann Museum".
5. Smithsonian. National Portrait Gallery. Catalog of American Portraits. Retrieved 2011-12-13
6. Smithsonian. Art Inventories Catalog. Retrieved 2011-12-13
7. Cape Ann Museum. "Alfred J. Wiggin". Archived from the original on 2023-07-05.
8. Historic New England. "Captain Oliver Lane House". Archived from the original on 2021-04-27.

Further reading

• Janet Dwyer. The Portraits and Landscapes of Alfred J. Wiggin, 1823–1883. Gloucester, Mass.: Cape Ann Historical Assoc., 1980.

External links

• GenForum. Wiggin