John Brewster Jr Deaf Traveling Artist Date of Birth: 30.05.1776 Country: USA

Biography of John Brewster Jr.

John Brewster Jr., a deaf itinerant artist, is renowned for his enchanting portraits of affluent families in New England, particularly their children. He spent a significant portion of his later life in Buxton, Maine, creating portraits of the elite society of his time in the state. According to the Fenimore Art Museum website in Cooperstown, New York, Brewster was not a deaf artist but a Deaf Artist, his works and achievements owing to the fact that deaf individuals, as noted by scholars, are visualists.

John Brewster Jr. was born on either May 30th or 31st, 1776, in Hampton, Connecticut. Little is known about his childhood and youth. He was the third child of Dr. John and Mary Brewster. His mother passed away when he was 17. His father remarried Ruth Avery from Brooklyn, Connecticut, and the family expanded with four more children. John Brewster Sr. was a physician and a descendant of pilgrim and preacher William Brewster. Being deaf from birth, Brewster grew up in a time when there were no standardized deaf languages, and he likely communicated with people outside his family circle and friends who helped him integrate into society. A kind priest taught John to draw, and in the 1790s, he embarked on a journey through Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and the eastern part of New York State, using his family connections to offer his services to wealthy merchants.

Despite his deafness, Brewster was able to manage his own business, negotiate fees, and discuss artistic ideas with his sitters, possibly using pantomime and writing. As an itinerant portraitist, John traveled vast distances in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, staying in unfamiliar places for months at a time. His deafness provided him with an advantage in portraiture. Unable to hear or speak, he concentrated all his energy and abilities on capturing the subtle nuances of facial expressions. Visual contact was an important part of communication among the deaf, and according to scientific research, deaf individuals are better at perceiving minute facial differences than hearing individuals.

In his early works, John's style showed the influence of another itinerant artist, Ralph Earl. Earl, in turn, drew inspiration from the English "Grand Manner" painting of the 18th century. However, both artists gradually reshaped this idealized aesthetic style, moving away from visual metaphors towards modesty and simplicity. In 1805, John's brother, Dr. Royal Brewster, completed the construction of his Federal-style house, and John moved there, spending the rest of his life with his brother's family. By this time, the deaf artist had developed his own style, portraying children in full length, wearing simple clothing or nightgowns, with soft, fluffy hair or large, endearing eyes. Overall, he did everything to make the child look cute and touching. However, Brewster still struggled with perspective, as his figures seemed out of proportion to their surroundings.

Around the same time, the artist began to sign his works more frequently. He deviated from the "Grand Manner" and instead focused on more intimate and personal portraits, emphasizing the faces of his clients. Until 1817, John continued to travel further in search of clients, which did not hinder his flourishing career. From 1817 to 1820, Brewster interrupted his work to learn sign language, recently developed for the deaf in Hartford, at what is now known as the American School for the Deaf. He was 51 years old, while the average age of students was 19. He joined the very first class, becoming a witness to the birth of American Sign Language.

Returning to Buxton and resuming his portrait work, John displayed even greater care, sensitively capturing the features of his sitters. After the 1830s, little is known about Brewster's works, as well as about himself. John Brewster Jr. created soul-stirring, beautiful images of American life during the nation's formative period. An anonymous writer on the Fenimore Art Museum website characterizes him as follows: "Brewster stands as one of the great folk artists in American history—a key figure in the Connecticut style of American folk portraiture. Furthermore, Brewster's paintings are an integral part of Maine's history. Brewster was Maine's most prolific artist, documenting the lives of the Federal elite in Maine through detailed portraiture."