By Becky Odom, History Curator & Curatorial Department Manager

Willard’s extant works indicate he painted in two different styles early in his career: realism and folk art. He employed realism to create accurate, detailed paintings of the town of Wellington and the surrounding area southwest of Cleveland. His portraits, on the other hand, tend to incorporate the bold colors lack of traditional perspective common to folk art.

In addition to painting his hometown, Willard’s early artwork also incorporated places from his military service. Willard enlisted in the 86^th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War, serving a total of two years between 1862 and 1864. He sketched his surroundings, and later turned these drawings into paintings. He likely created this painting from sketches he made when his regiment helped to capture the Cumberland Gap in Tennessee.

Willard’s comical depictions of his children became his first success. In 1872, Willard sent two paintings to Cleveland photographer and printer James F. Ryder. The humorous paintings, titled "Pluck" and "Pluck II," depict children’s antics with the family dog. Ryder hung the paintings in his shop window and sold many chromolithographs of these and other comical works.

Following his initial success, Willard traveled to New York to continue his artistic training. He studied under at least one notable Ohio artist, Joseph Oriel Eaton. By 1875, Willard was living in Cleveland as a full-time artist.

Encouraged by Ryder and his initial commercial success, Willard undertook what would become his most famous work, "Spirit of ‘76." Originally titled "Yankee Doodle," the painting was intended to be a humorous piece. But Willard’s strong patriotic feelings led him to paint what became a symbol of the courage, patriotism, and determination of the American Revolution.

The painting garnered attention while exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Art critics dismissed the painting as nothing more than a cartoon. But, thanks to Ryder’s skillful marketing campaign, audiences turned out in huge numbers to see the original painting and purchase inexpensive color prints to hang in their own homes.

After the Exposition concluded, “Spirit of ‘76” went on a national tour, selling out crowds in many cities from Boston to San Francisco. Demand for the painting was so great that Willard created at least four copies, one of which is in the Ohio History Connection collections.

Willard’s patriotic painting vaulted him to national fame, but he wasn’t able to maintain his success. Ryder continued to sell prints of Willard’s artwork, but sales eventually dwindled. Willard began teaching to support himself, founding the Cleveland Art Club and instructing students in portraiture, landscape, oil painting, and life drawing to aspiring regional artists.

Cleveland resident and railroad superintendent John H. Devereux acquired the original "Spirit of '76" painting in 1880 and donated it to his hometown of Marblehead, Massachusetts. Devereux’s son, John, had served as the model for the drummer boy.

When the Spanish-American War began in 1898, Willard attempted to revive the patriotic tropes of “Spirit of ‘76” for this new conflict. In one version, Willard depicts geriatric soldiers galloping across a western landscape in heroic defense of the nation. These men, born too late to fight in the Civil War, eagerly joined the war to oust Spain from Cuba and the Philippines despite their advanced age.

Despite Willard’s efforts, "Spirit of ’76" remained his greatest artistic success. He died in Cleveland in 1918.

Would you like to see more of Willard's artwork? Pieces from museum and library collections throughout Ohio can be viewed on Ohio Memory.

Our Archives & Library has many amazing resources for you to learn more about Ohio artists. Be sure to visit the Archives Wednesday through Friday or consider making a research appointment to see these materials.

Do you collect Ohio art? Are you curious if your pieces could become part of the Ohio History Connection's collections? Visit our donations page to learn more!