William Matthew Prior

American, 1806-1873

William Matthew Prior was a prolific American folk artist who helped make portraiture more accessible to middle-class clientele in 19th-century New England. Born in Bath, Massachusetts (present day Maine), Prior showed artistic promise from an early age and was painting portraits by the age of 17. He began his career in Portland, Maine before relocating to Boston in 1839 and settling at a studio there. Over the course of his life, he produced more than 1,500 portraits, ranging from simple, flat renderings to more detailed and academically modeled works.

Prior employed a strategic pricing model—offering more affordable, minimally shaded portraits to clients of modest means, while reserving more elaborately modeled commissions for wealthier patrons. His portraits often exhibit distinctive characteristics, such as flattened features, a lack of shadow, and expressive eyes. A devout follower of Millerism, Prior’s religious convictions shaped both his subject matter and social outlook. He painted numerous portraits of religious leaders and showed unusual dignity in his portrayals of African-American sitters, reflecting progressive views for his time.

His circle of influence, often referred to as the “Prior-Hamblin School,” shared stylistic and technical traits that can make attribution complex. His career was celebrated in the American Folk Art Musuem 2012–2013 exhibition Artist and Visionary: William Matthew Prior Revealed, which affirmed his legacy as one of the foremost American folk painters of his generation.