Nathaniel Smybert
Nathaniel Smibert (January 20, 1734 – November 8, 1756), was an American colonial artist in Boston, Province of Massachusetts, active in the mid-18th century. He is considered to be the first portrait painter in America.
Also recorded as Nathaniel Smibert · Nathanael Smibert · Smibert · Smybert
Nathaniel Smybert

Nathaniel Smybert · Yale University Art Gallery [1] · Public domain
- Born
- 1734 · Boston.
- Died
- 1756 · Boston.
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- painter
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Nathaniel Smibert (January 20, 1734 – November 8, 1756), was an American colonial artist in Boston, Province of Massachusetts, active in the mid-18th century. He is considered to be the first portrait painter in America.
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wikidata · Q6969861 · wikipedia · Nathaniel Smibert
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Biography
Biography
Born in Boston in 1734, Nathaniel Smibert trained as a painter with his father, artist John Smibert. He painted several portraits, notably of Ezra Stiles, architect Peter Harrison, and Dorothy Wendell (in the Collection of Dr John L Hale, Boston). Smibert died young in 1756, at the age of twenty-two.
Gallery
Gallery
• Illustration — Portrait of Ezra Stiles (1756) • Illustration — Portrait of John Lovell • Illustration — Portrait of a Cleric (c. 1755–1756)

Nathaniel Smybert, Nathaniel Smibert - John Lovell (1710-1778) - H46 - Harvard Art Museums
Nathaniel Smybert · Harvard Art Museums

"Ezra Stiles (1727-1795), B.A. 1746, M.A. 1749," painted by American artist Nathaniel Smibert, oil on canvas, 29 in. x 24 3/4 in. Courtesy of the Yale University Art Gallery, Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
Nathaniel Smybert · Yale University Art Gallery [1]
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Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Boston Gazette, or Weekly Journal, 8 November 1756
- 2.Richard H. Saunders. John Smibert: Colonial America's First Portrait Pinter. Yale University Press, 1995.
- 3.Smybert, John. Smybert, John s.v. Nathaniel Smybert. 25. 281.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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