Task 5: Alfred Jacob Miller (1810-1874)

Alfred Jacob Miller, was born in Baltimore. Maryland, USA.

Miller, best known for capturing the wild west on canvas, was assigned by Capt. William Drummond Stewart of the British Army, to accompany him and his party on an expedition through the Rocky Mountains.

After the party had been robbed by a group of Pawnee Indians, Miller began recording all the people and incidents in his work.

Miller spent the next two years working for Capt. Stewart, who later returned to Scotland, but asked Miller to join him and help redecorate his castle. Miller spent two more years working for Stewart and upon completing his work, returned to his native Baltimore.

Now established, he found himself inundated with work. Many people wanted to sit for their portrait. He continued to paint scenes of the West, but never returned. Opting instead to live a quiet batchelor life with his sisters, and died peacefully in 1874.

The painting titled 'Woman at stile' is unlikely to have been painted by Alfred Jacob Miller - and more likely to have been painted by A. J. Miller - because the former was not known to have used oil on paper.