"William Butler Ogden" by George Healy |
His descriptions of the new city fired my imagination. I had often thought of returning to the United States and settling there, but the difficulty of moving with a large family, the uncertainty as to where I should go, the fear of being considered by my country people as a 'blasted foreigner,' had made me hesitate. Then too, I had been engaged on large works more easily accomplished in Paris than elsewhere. Now my second large picture finished, ready for the great exhibition, and I was free to shape my course otherwise.
My. Ogden most warmly urged me to start for Chicago, offering me the hospitality of his house, promising his support, and predicting success. I quickly made up my mind, and in the autumn of 1855 started for Chicago, leaving my family in Paris."
To be continued
(Excerpts from "Reminiscences of a Portrait Painter" by G. P. A. Healy.)
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