Lot 852: William Frye (German/Alabama, 1822-1872)

William Frye (German/Alabama, 1822-1872), "A Pair of Kentucky Pendant Portraits of a Husband and Wife", oil on canvas, the man signed en verso "W. Frye/Pinxit/1866", 16 7/8 in. x 13 7/8 in., and 15 5/8 in. x 12 3/4 in., in ornate period gilt frames Provenance: Private Collection Clinton, Kentucky. Note: William Frye was among the most successful and prolific painters working in Kentucky and Alabama during the mid-19th c. Born in Reslau, Germany, Frye studied art at Heidelberg University. Intrigued by the American Indian stories of James Fenimore Cooper, around 1840 he immigrated to America. By 1845 he moved to Louisville, Kentucky where he opened a portrait studio. Frye opened a second portrait studio two years later in Huntsville, Alabama. In 1865 the Kentucky legislature commissioned Frye to paint a posthumous portrait of Henry Clay. Frye's carreer was cut short by mental and physical health problems. Eventually he was committed to the Alabama Insane Hospital, where he died at the age of 50. Reference: Adams, E. Bryding "William Frye, Artist", Alabama Heritage, University of Alabama, spring 1994.