Witt, John Henry, 1841-1901

Dr. John Maynard Wheaton (1840-1887) was a physician as well as a collector of birds and other animals. He authored "Report on Ohio Birds," which was included in the Geological Survey of Ohio in 1882, and "Birds of Ohio," which was illustrated by Josephine Klippart. Wheaton was also a founding member of the American Ornithologists Union.

Thomas Corwin (1794-1865) was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky. His family moved to Lebanon, Ohio, when he was four years old. Matthias Corwin, his father, served several terms in the Ohio House of Representatives. Corwin's political career began in 1818, when he served as Warren County prosecuting attorney. A member of the Whig Party, Corwin served two terms in the state legislature and five terms in the United States Congress. In 1840 Corwin was elected governor of Ohio. He served in the cabinet of President Millard Fillmore as secretary of the treasury from 1850-1853. Corwin was re-elected to Congress in 1860. Abraham Lincoln appointed Corwin minister to Mexico, and he was able to secure Mexico's support for the Union during the Civil War.

John Henry Witt (1840-1901) studied under Joseph O. Eaton and was a popular portrait painter in central Ohio. A native of Indiana, he studied art in Cincinnati before settling in Columbus. In 1865, Witt won a cash award at the Ohio State Fair for the best oil painting by an Ohio artist. This painting is one of thirteen gubernatorial portraits painted by the artist.

Josephine Klippart (1848-1936) was a painter and illustrator who specialized in the scientific illustration of Ohio's fishes and birds. Her drawings appeared in publications of the Ohio State Board of Agriculture, an organization for which her father, John Hancock Klippart, served as secretary. Klippart, who founded the Columbus Watercolor Society, left her teaching position at the Columbus Art School to take charge of the coloring of folio-sized lithographs for the book "Illustrations of the Nests and Eggs of the Birds of Ohio."

John Henry Witt (1840-1901) studied under Joseph O. Eaton and was a popular portrait painter in central Ohio. He painted several portraits of Ohio governors.

Emeline Rahn Klippart was born in Canton, Ohio. This portrait was painted soon after the death of her second child, Clara. Her husband John H. Klippart served as secretary of the Ohio State Board of Agriculture from 1856-1878.

John Henry Witt (1840-1901) studied under Joseph O. Eaton and was a popular portrait painter in central Ohio. He painted several portraits of Ohio governors.

John Hancock Klippart (1823-1878) was born in Stark County, Ohio. In 1847, he married, started a dry goods business, and soon became the postmaster at Osnaburg, Ohio. He worked as an editor for the Democratic Transcript in Canton and also edited the Ohio Farmer. In 1856 he was elected corresponding secretary of the Ohio State Board of Agriculture, a position he held until his death in 1878.

John Henry Witt (1840-1901) was born in Indiana. He studied art in Cincinnati before settling in Columbus. In 1865, Witt won a cash award at the Ohio State Fair for the best oil painting by an Ohio artist.