William Henry Titcomb, (sometimes spelled “Titcombe”) was born in Raymond, New Hampshire on September 24, 1824. Little is known of his education in his early years, but his initial work had a primitive or self-taught feel. His subject matter was primarily scenes in New Hampshire.
In 1848 Titcomb moved to Boston. He became a salesman in a dry goods trade, but he eventually took up painting full time. Titcomb took a studio in the Mather Building on Tremont Street in that same time frame and began exhibiting in the Boston Athenaeum. His Boston Art Academy was the city’s first art academy. He advertised for students, charging fifty cents an hour. Teaching allowed Titcomb the income to paint, travel and form what was considered the most important art history library in Boston.
Throughout his life Titcomb returned to Raymond, New Hampshire and also on painting trips to the White Mountains. Titcomb is known to have stayed at J.M. Shackford’s in Albany, NH. He would visit Champney at his studio in North Conway. Subjects of some of these White Mountain paintings were “Conway Valley in Autumn,” “Echo Lake,” and “The Flying Horse Ledge.”
He died in Boston on February 11, 1888 at the young age of 63. The Boston Transcript ran the following obituary:
“Mr. William H. Titcombe, well known as an artist and teacher, died at his studio on Washington Street this morning. During the past twenty five or thirty years some of the most prominent painters of New York and Boston have been his pupils and have derived from him the inspiration which has led to their success. Mr. Titcombe possessed probably the best art library of any artist in New England. For the last quarter century he has had a class of twenty to fifty pupils. He was of generous, kindly nature, and his loss will be mourned by a large circle of friends and pupils. There will be a short service in the Liberty Tree Building, Washington and Essex Streets, Monday afternoon at two o’clock and the remains will be taken to Raymond, N.H. for burial.”
References
New Hampshire Scenery
Rediscovering Some New England Artists