Cracked BuckeyeCracked Buckeye

Notable people · Artist

Archibald Willard

Painter of The Spirit of '76, born Bedford.

Archibald Willard
Unknown/uncerdited, Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

Born
1836-08-22
Died
1918-10-11
Known as
Artist

Life story

Archibald Willard was born in Bedford, Ohio, in 1836, son of a Baptist minister, and was drawing on barns as a child.

He moved to Wellington and worked for wagon maker E. S. Tripp, rising from painter to decorator. He served in the 86th Ohio Infantry in 1863 with limited combat and painted war scenes.

His best-known work, The Spirit of '76 (about 1875), was shown at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial. It was moved to a side annex at first and became famous through chromolithograph prints.

He died in 1918 and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Wellington. The original painting is at Abbot Hall, Marblehead, Massachusetts.

Timeline

  • 1836-08-22: Born (Bedford, OH) source
  • 1863: Joined 86th Ohio Infantry (Ohio) source
  • 1865: Painted Pluck and Pluck No. 2 (Wellington, OH) source
  • 1875: Painted The Spirit of '76 (Ohio) source
  • 1876: Exhibited at the Centennial Exposition (Philadelphia, PA) source
  • 1918-10-11: Died (Ohio) source

What Archibald is known for

  • The Spirit of '76 (c.1875)
  • Pluck (1865)
  • The Spirit of '76 (c. 1875)
  • Courthouse murals, Washington Court House

Honors and things named for them

  • Willard Avenue, Bedford
  • Willard Drive, Garfield Heights

Family

  • father: Samuel Willard

Places in Ohio to see

Ohio places

Where Archibald Willard was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.

Further reading

Sources

Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.

Correct this page · hello@crackedbuckeye.com