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'' '' by john neagle , 1836 , pennsylvania academy of the the fine arts studious artist : portrait of thomas birch 1851 1779 painting 1779 john neagle the studious artist.jpg thomas birch -lrb- artist -rrb-
 thomas birch # 6495ed
thomas birch -lrb- artist -rrb-

thomas birch -lrb- 1779 -- january 3 , 1851 -rrb- , was an english-born american portrait and marine painter .
birch was born in london , england .
he came to the u. s. in 1794 , and assisted his artist father , william birch , in preparing a 29-plate collection of engravings : `` birch 's views of philadelphia '' -lrb- 1800 -rrb- .
subscribers to the series included president john adams and vice president thomas jefferson .
this sold well and went into multiple editions , inspiring similar collected views of new york city , and of suburban estates surrounding philadelphia and baltimore .
the son 's first major painting appears to have been a view of philadelphia from the treaty elm in kensington , which was also engraved and published in 1804 .
he painted portraits until about 1807 , when he took up marine-painting .
some of his most famous works depict naval battles of the war of 1812 .
`` birch was the first american ship portraitist , and his paintings were copied by countless artists and craftsmen in america and europe . ''
in addition to ships , they provide valuable images of bridges , lighthouses , docksides , and harbor fortifications in the early republic , especially those surrounding new york city and philadelphia .
his paintings of suburban mansions and rural snow scenes were often turned into engravings .
historically , the birches ' most important work may be a circa-1801 engraving documenting the unfinished u.s. capitol .
another , may be the son 's painting depicting an 1812 naval battle between uss `` united states '' and hms `` macedonian '' , that hung in the oval office of u.s. president john f. kennedy .
it was sold at auction in 2008 , setting a record price for the artist of $ 481,000 .
an assessment from 1867 : `` marine landscapes were painted thirty years ago by an englishman in philadelphia -- thomas birch .
the freshness of his atmosphere and clearly-painted waves were a marked feature .
his delineation of the engagement between the u.s. frigate `` constitution '' and the british frigate `` guerriere '' , and that between the `` united states '' and the `` macedonian '' -- each four by two feet six inches -- are fine specimens of this artist , and of rare historical value . ''
he exhibited regularly at the pennsylvania academy of the fine arts for forty years , beginning in 1811 , and managed the museum , 1812-17 .
his work is collected at pafa , the library company of philadelphia , the philadelphia museum of art , the smithsonian american art museum , the u.s. naval academy , and the museum of fine arts , boston , among others .
in 1833 , he was elected into the national academy of design as an honorary member .
he died in philadelphia , pennsylvania .
