Benjamin West, the son of John West and Sarah Pearson, was born in
Springfield, in the state of Pennsylvania, October 10, 1733. His mother,
it seems, had gone to hear one Edward Peckover preach about the
sinfulness of the Old World and the spotlessness of the New: terrified
and overcome by the earnest eloquence of the enthusiast, she shrieked
aloud, was carried home, and, in the midst of agitation and terror, was
safely delivered of the future president of the Royal Academy. When the
preacher was told of this, he rejoiced, “Note that child,” said he, “for
he has come into the world in a remarkable way, and will assuredly prove
a wonderful man.” The child prospered, and when seven years’ old began
to fulfil the prediction of the preacher.
Little West was one day set to rock the cradle of his sister’s child,
and was so struck with the beauty of the slumbering babe, that he drew
its features in red and black ink. “I declare,” cried his astonished
sister, “he has made a likeness of little baby!” He was next noticed by
a party of wild Indians, who, pleased with the sketches which Benjamin
had made of birds and flowers, taught him how to prepare the red and
yellow colours with which they stained their weapons; to these, his
mother added indigo, and thus he obtained the three primary colours. It
is also related, that West’s artistic career was commenced through the
present of a box of colours, which was made to him, when about nine
years old, by a Pennsylvanian merchant, whose attention was attracted by
some of the boy’s pen-and-ink sketches.