- William Ranney
William Ranney (1813 – 1857) was a famous 19th century American painter. His paintings reflect many different genres, including everyday Western life, for which he is renowned. An avid outdoorsman, he also painted sporting scenery. In his 20-year career, he painted 150 paintings and 80 drawings, though less than 30 that are Western-themed.Millan, Nicholas; "Famed American 19th century painter called North Hudson home"; "The Union City Reporter";
March 16 ,2008 .]Biography
William Ranney was born in Connecticut in 1813. He moved to
Brooklyn in 1833 to study painting, but in 1836, he volunteered to fight in theTexas War of Independence after learning of the conflict. According to Ranney's great-grandson, Ranney Moran, who was named after the painter, after Ranney stayed inWest Columbia, Texas for a short time, he returned to Brooklyn in 1837, and year later publicly exhibited his paintings for the first time at theNational Academy of Design in New York City. Ranney was a self-taught oil painter, and never received formal training.Ranney depicted Western sceneries based on his memories, often depicting the
Rocky Mountains , pioneers, hunters, and explorers before the West was largely settled by European Americans, for which he became famous.Ranney at one point was a resident of
New York City , in 1847, to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, moved toWeehawken, New Jersey . In 1851 he moved toWest Hoboken, New Jersey (what is nowUnion City, New Jersey ), where he lived on a 14-room estate that included his studio. His estate holdings encompassed Palisade to New York Avenues, and 12th to 13th Streets. According to Moran, Ranney adored the rural, marshy lands that typified Union City in the 19th Century. In addition to painting, Ranney enjoyed fishing, rail bird hunting, duck hunting, and horseback riding, and maintained a stable on his estate.Among the fellow artists and residents he befriended were Hoboken founding father Colonel John Stevens III, the man responsible for providing the first ferry system between New York and Hoboken. As Ranney was an avid cricket player, he was one of the founders of New York Cricket Club, and one of its top scorers. The club often played in Hoboken's Fox Hill, which today is Columbus Park, and the high school field between 9th and 11th Streets on Grand Street.
Ranney died from
tuberculosis in 1857, at the age of 44.Legacy
Ranney is regarded as one of the most important pre-
Civil War American painters. His paintings are highly prized by Western and early American art collectors. Sixty percent of his paintings are in museums such as theBoston Museum of Fine Arts .Moran authored the prologue for the book, "Forging an American Identity: The Art of William Ranney". [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0931618614 "Forging an American Identity: The Art of William Ranney" at]
Amazon.com ]A five-story apartment building now stands at 1215 Palisade Avenue in Union City, where his estate once stood.
References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
