Brief guide to manuscripts collections| William L. Clements Library The University of Michigan Henry Lewis Papers |
Henry Lewis, an English cabinet-maker, arrived in St. Louis in 1836. He taught himself to paint and by the mid-1840's had gained some reputation as a landscape artist. Encouraged by a local newspaper editor, Lewis embarked upon a grand venture, the painting of a 1,000-foot panorama of the Mississippi River. With the financial aid of friends and assisted by four other painters, he began painting in 1848. His 'Great National Work' was first viewed in St. Louis the following year. the panorama, which Lewis' promoters claimed cost $15,000, was well received. Lewis toured the major cities of the United States and Canada with the painting and in 1851 began a tour of Europe. By 1853 Lewis had settled at an artists' colony in dusselforf, where he sold the panorama to a West Indian planter.
Letters of artist Henry Lewis to his brother George T. Lewis.
This collection of letters describes Lewis' tour of American and Canadian cities, financial matters relating to the Mississippi River Panorama, his work while at Dusseldorf, and family affairs.
Purchased, 1959
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