William Robinson Leigh (1866 - 1955)

Born 23 Sep 1866 in Berkeley, West Virginia, United States

Ancestors

Died 11 Mar 1955 at age 88 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States

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Biography

William Robinson Leigh was an American artist and illustrator, who was known for his painted Western scenes.

William Leigh is Notable.

William Leigh was a West Virginian.

He married twice. His first wife was Anna Seng Leigh, mother of his son,[3] their marriage ended in a divorce sometime before 1906. His second wife was Ethel Traphagen Leigh (1883–1963), was the founder of Traphagen School of Fashion in New York City.

He had one son, and fathered William Colston Leigh, Sr. (1901–1992)

Growing up in Central Appalachia, Leigh, started painting the landscapes of the region. In 1906, Leigh traveled to the American West and maintained a studio in New York City. In 1926 he travelled to Africa at the invitation of Carl Akeley for the American Museum of Natural History, and from this experience wrote and illustrated Frontiers of Enchantment: An Artist's Adventures in Africa. In 1933, he wrote and illustrated The Western Pony. His adventures were chronicled in a number of popular magazines including Life, the Saturday Evening Post, and Colliers.

The Roping, 1914

He is known for painting the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Park, but his primary interest were the Hopi and Navajo Indians. In 1953 he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member and became a full Academician in 1955.

Research Notes

spouses

1 Anna Seng

2

children

William Colston Leigh (1901 - 1992)

He grew up, in the post civil war United States South, served by a number of black "domestic servants." ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages 1980-2014", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK44-YL7T : Sat Mar 09 17:49:28 UTC 2024), Entry for W Colston Leigh and William Robinson Leigh, 21 Jul 1992.

• "West Virginia Births, 1853-1930," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F1TQ-XB7 : 10 March 2018), Wm. R. Leigh, 23 Sep 1866; citing Falling Water, Berkeley, West Virginia, United States, county courthouses, West Virginia; FHL microfilm 831,265.
• "New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1940", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:244S-L29 : 21 June 2022), William R Leigh and Anna Seng, 1898.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8280978/william-robinson-leigh: accessed 22 July 2022), memorial page for William Robinson Leigh (23 Sep 1866–11 Mar 1955), Find a Grave Memorial ID 8280978, citing Oak Hill Cemetery, Nyack, Rockland County, New York, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.
• Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.), 08 Aug. 1915. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045389/1915-08-08/ed-1/seq-39/>

See Also:

• Wikipedia:William Robinson Leigh
• Wikidata: Item Q3568914
• FamilySearch Person: LHXK-DY7