Nicola Monachesi
Nicola Monachesi (1795–1851) was an Italian painter believed to have painted the earliest frescos in America. He was born in Tolentino, Marche Italy and was considered a citizen of Rome. When he died in Philadelphia, he had become a naturalized citizen of the United States. In Italy he was a pupil of the Accademia di San Luca, Rome, studying under Gaspare Landi, and won his first prize for painting. After studying in Rome, he emigrated to America in 1831-32 entering through New York and settling in Philadelphia. He worked mostly as an interior decorator, drawing neoclassical artistic  paintings on wall surfaces and portrait paintings on canvass decorating churches, commercial buildings, and Mansions. Works. Works surviving and preserved are: Works demolished or destroyed: Works Unknown status: His portraits existed in many "old" established families in Philadelphia and vicinity. It included patrons as Stephen Girard, Madam Rush, Joseph Bonaparte and Joseph Togno. In 1841-42 his large historical picture, The Murder of Jane McCrea, was exhibited in Philadelphia. An exhibit of his work was held by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts