Who is William Ranney?

William Tylee Ranney (May 9, 1813 – November 18, 1857) was a 19th-century American painter, known for his depictions of Western life, sporting scenery, historical subjects and portraiture. In his 20-year career, he made 150 paintings and 80 drawings, and is considered the first major genre painter to play a role in New Jersey, and one of the most important pre-Civil War American painters. His accomplishment is on display in several museums across the United States. One of his contemporaries opined, “A specimen of Ranney is valuable wherever a increase of American art exists.”