“W” is for Walker, William Aiken [1839-1921]. Painter. Born in Charleston, Walker probably exhibited his first paintings at the South Carolina Institute Fair of 1850. He enlisted in Hampton's Legion during the Civil War. After recovering from severe wounds at the Battle of Seven Pines served out the war as a cartographer. By the end of the nineteenth century, Walker's name had become synonymous with painting in the South—so popular were his images of African Americans, their cabins, and their way of life. He regularly divided his time among Baltimore, Charleston, New Orleans, and several Florida towns—and he painted each locale seriously—and for the tourist trade. William Aiken Walker was a serious and accomplished artist, but used an assembly-line method to generate a prodigious output that he sold to northern tourists.
“W” is for Walker, William Aiken [1839-1921]
