In Portland Porter may have crossed paths with John Brewster Jr., the accomplished itinerant portraitist. Deaf from birth, Brewster was the son of a respected Connecticut doctor who encouraged him to learn to read and write. Exhibiting a talent for painting, Brewster was professionally trained, and his early portraits reflect the style of prominent Connecticut artists, such as Ralph Earl. Brewster lived for extended periods with his brother in Buxton, Maine and traveled to Portland, Saco, and Kennebunk, where he served a wide range of clients, including Moses Quinby, a graduate of Bowdoin’s first class in 1806.
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