By Graydon RustAlabama 200
August 7, 1871
German artist William Frye was committed to the Alabama Insane Hospital due to symptoms likely stemming from diabetes and heart disease. Best known for his depictions of life in the antebellum South, Frye earned American citizenship and lived much of his life in Huntsville. He painted many portraits in Alabama and several landscapes, particularly of the Black Belt region. His most acclaimed painting is an 1866 life-size portrait of Henry Clay that stays on permanent display in Kentucky’s Old State Capitol. Frye produced 140 known paintings throughout his career, 13 of which are kept at the Huntsville Museum of Art and displayed at various times.
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