Biography

Anson Dickinson was born in the Milton section of Litchfield in 1779. He apprenticed as a silversmith with local craftsmen Isaac Thompson and family history states that Dickinson showed artistic abilities from a young age. It is not clear if Dickinson received any formal training. As a young man he moved first to New Haven and later to New York City where he befriended contemporary painters and possibly improved his technique through their acquaintance.

Dickinson began painting around 1803. Unable to support himself in a single location, Dickinson traveled from town to town in search of commissions. He stopped in Litchfield numerous times on his trips up and down the east coast. He also traveled as far north as Canada and far south as Charleston, South Carolina.

Over his fifty year career Dickinson painted 1500 individuals. His sitters ranged from prominent members of Congress and state government officials to students attending the Litchfield Law School and Litchfield Female Academy. Dickinson was celebrated during his lifetime and considered one of the finest miniature painters of the early 19th century.

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