Object ID	N0033.1960
Title	William Miller (Possibly)
Artist	Prior, William Matthew (attributed to)
Object Name	Painting
Early Date	1845
Late Date	1855
Exhibit label line3	Prior achieved one of his most penetrating character studies in this dark, somber, likeness. His sophisticated modeling of the sitter's furrowed brow and the heavily shaded, wrinkled area around the eyes accentuates the man's piercing gaze. In addition, the stark lighting on the man's face and on the background directly behind his head create a dramatic presence. A number of factors led to Nina Fletcher Little's tentative identification of this subject as the religious leader William Miller, the most compelling being the artist's association with the preacher's following. William Miller (1782-1849) was a dynamic preacher and founder of the Adventist Movement who claimed to prove, by a prophetic chronology, that the second coming of Christ and the end of the world would occur between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844. Prior, along with his brother-in-law, Joseph G. Hamblin, was a fanatic Millerite. In March of 1840 Miller preached for thirteen days at the Casco Street Christian Church in Portland, Maine, and on October 13 of the same year he presided over a large gathering in Boston. These events coincided with Prior's move from Portland to Boston in the summer of 1840, raising the possibility that he attended both gatherings. Prior named a daughter, Balona Miller, after the charismatic preacher, and authored two books on the Adventist Movement. In 1862 he published "The King's Vesture, Evidence from Scripture and History Comparatively Applied to William Miller," in which he attempted to prove that Miller was himself Christ in his second coming. Prior's 1860 publication, "The Empyrean Canopy" discusses his rendering of a chronological chart for Miller and tells of his inspiration to paint the man's portrait. This likeness is sufficiently similar in appearance to descriptions and other portraits of William Miller to support Mrs. Little's contention. Contemporary accounts note Miller's penetrating eyes, white hair, wrinkles and his ever-present beaver hat. Known portraits of Miller exhibit the same broad nose and mouth, and strong jawline that is evident in this likeness. The sitter holds a volume labeled "Voltaire," the philosopher whose work Miller studied prior to entering the public ministry. Interestingly, the volume's cover bears the date 1849, the year of Miller's death. The rings on the subject's right hand may be interpreted as a symbolic reference to the celestial phenomena, such as solar halos, observed by Miller and his followers in 1843 and 1844 and seen as signs of the prophesied second coming of Christ. Prior's life-long devotion to Miller's teachings make it highly probable that he would have painted the prophet's likeness at least once. The inclusion of Miller's date of death on the book cover suggests that the portrait may have been rendered posthumously. Interestingly, Prior claimed visionary powers that allowed him to paint such likenesses "by spirit effect." From Paul S. D'Ambrosio and Charlotte M. Emans, "Folk Art's Many Faces: Portraits in the New York State Historical Association," Cooperstown: NYSHA, 1987, pp. 1339-140.
Description	Painted in print on the spine of the book held by the sitter is "Voltaire" and, on the cover, "1849."
Dimensions	H-27 W-22 inches
Material	Oil on canvas
Place of Origin	New England (probably)

Prior written permission is required for any reproduction, redistribution, publication, or other use of the images in any media, including but not limited to, printed or electronic media. Contact the Office of the Registrar, New York State Historical Association, PO Box 800, Cooperstown, NY 13326, (607) 547-1444, to request permission.    
Last modified on: November 04, 2005