Samuel H. Dearborn's Silhouettes, or, The Murder of Issac Robertson
Samuel H. Dearborn was the first portrait painter working west of the Appalachian Mountains.
He also got away with murder.
Samuel H. Dearborn
Samuel H. Dearborn grew up in Massachusetts where he developed a talent as an artist.
After the close of the Revolutionary War, thousands of settlers flooded their way over the Appalachian Mountains.
Dearborn, having decided to pursue a career as a portrait painter, joined the masses flying west.
Silhouettes
Samuel spent time in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Lexington where he became the first portrait artist to make his career on the frontier.
Dearborn is said to have had a wide range of talents, but most specifically focused on watercolors.
He generally painted his subjects in silhouette. This style looks exactly as it sounds; a blank, black picture of a person’s face which focused on the outline of their head.
This type of design was fairly common at the time as it could be completed quickly with little overhead on colors, which made it more affordable for the common person.
Murder
Eventually, Dearborn found himself in Frankfurt, Kentucky.
This is where trouble struck on April 17, 1811.
Samuel was staying at a boarding house when another guest insulted the landlady. This man was Issac Robertson (son of the famed teacher Donald Robertson) who was then quickly rising in prominence as a Kentucky politician.
For unknown reasons, this insult really irked Dearborn who grabbed a knife and found Robertson in the garden.
Samuel suddenly began stabbing Robertson in the back...right in front of his children!
Issac Robertson died later that night.
Escape
Samuel was arrested, but managed to escape.
He kept a low profile for several years before reappearing in Massachusetts under the assumed name of Nathaniel.
For some reason, his presence did not raise any alarms.
Dearborn married and lived another four decades as a middling artist without ever being brought to trial.
Samuel had successfully gotten away with murder.
Do you want to learn about other REVOLUTIONARY STORIES that end in MURDER?
Enjoy this article:
The Youngest American Ever Executed - Hannah Ocuish
John Adam Treutlen - From Indentured Servant to Governor
David Ramsay - American History’s First American Historian
Much of today’s story comes from the fascinating book ‘Bluegrass Renaissance.’
If you are interested in the early devolvement of Kentucky I highly suggest you give it a read.
Pick up a copy through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).
Want to get fun American Revolution articles straight to your inbox every morning?
Your in luck!
You can subscribe to my email list here.
You might also want to support Founder of the Day on Patreon.
