John Lewis Krimmel (May 30, 1786 – July 15, 1821), sometimes called “the American Hogarth” was America’s first painter of genre scenes. Born in Germany, he emigrated to Philadelphia in 1809 and soon became a fanatic of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Initially influenced by Scotland’s David Wilkie, England’s William Hogarth and America’s Benjamin West, he soon turned to refer observation of liveliness for his genre scenes. He was along with the first artists in America to portray free blacks, such as in Black People’s Prayer Meeting (1813). Among his yet frequently reproduced paintings are Fourth of July, Center Square (1811/12) and Election Day (1815), both filled with lively characterizations of scores of crowd members. Krimmel died in a swimming accident at the age of 35. Among the prominent American artists influenced by Krimmel’s achievement are William Sidney Mount, George Caleb Bingham, and Thomas Eakins.
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