William Robinson Leigh
Encyclopedia
William Robinson Leigh is a noted American artist, who specialized in Western scenes.
He was born at Maidstone Manor Farm
, Berkeley County, West Virginia
. He entered the Maryland Institute at age 14, then attended the Royal Academy in Munich. He returned to the United States and worked painting cyclorama
s and as a magazine illustrator. He married and fathered William Colston Leigh, Sr.
(1901-1992).
In 1906, Leigh traveled to the American West and maintained a studio in New York City. In 1933, he wrote and illustrated The Western Pony. He also traveled to Africa and published a book Frontiers of Enchantment (1938). Hs adventures were chronicled in a number of popular magazines including Life, the Saturday Evening Post, and Colliers. He is known for painting the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Forest, but his primary interest were the Hopi and Navajo Indians
in Tulsa, Oklahoma
.
He was born at Maidstone Manor Farm
Maidstone Manor Farm
Maidstone Manor Farm, also known as William R. Leigh House, is a national historic district located near Hedgesville, Berkeley County, West Virginia. It encompasses a historic farm with three contributing buildings and one contributing site, the site of a slave cabin. The manor house is a two...
, Berkeley County, West Virginia
Berkeley County, West Virginia
Berkeley County is a county located in the Eastern Panhandle region of the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2010, the population is 104,169, making it the second-most populous county in West Virginia, behind Kanawha...
. He entered the Maryland Institute at age 14, then attended the Royal Academy in Munich. He returned to the United States and worked painting cyclorama
Cyclorama
For the classical album Cyclorama, see Jonathan Goldstein; For the rock album Cyclorama by Styx, see Cyclorama ; for the theatrical backdrop, see Cyclorama...
s and as a magazine illustrator. He married and fathered William Colston Leigh, Sr.
William Colston Leigh, Sr.
William Colston Leigh, Sr. created one of the world's leading speakers' agencies, the W. Colston Leigh Bureau.-Biography:...
(1901-1992).
In 1906, Leigh traveled to the American West and maintained a studio in New York City. In 1933, he wrote and illustrated The Western Pony. He also traveled to Africa and published a book Frontiers of Enchantment (1938). Hs adventures were chronicled in a number of popular magazines including Life, the Saturday Evening Post, and Colliers. He is known for painting the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Forest, but his primary interest were the Hopi and Navajo Indians
Legacy
After his death, his New York studio was given to the Gilcrease MuseumGilcrease Museum
Gilcrease Museum is a museum located northwest of downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. The museum now houses the world's largest, most comprehensive collection of art of the American West as well as a growing collection of art and artifacts from Central and South America...
in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
.