William P. Bodfish

active 1865-1894

American (New York, New York)

William Bodfish gained recognition for his illustrations and cartoons in the late 19th century. Based in New York, Bodfish painted genre scenes of women, children, and animals and created detailed illustrations of whaling, hunting, and fishing scenes for magazines such as Harper’s Weekly. He went westward in the years following the Civil War, joining the legion of journalists and illustrators who recorded the development of the Western United States. Historians count him as one of the most “able cartoonists” to tackle the West. During his lifetime, Bodfish’s work was exhibited at the National Academy of Design and the Art Institute of Chicago.