Background
He was the son of George Cheney and Electa Woodbridge.
He was the son of George Cheney and Electa Woodbridge.
In 1833 he went to Paris and studied under Jean-Baptiste Isabey and Paul Delaroche when he returned to he started drawing portraits in Boston in 1841.
He received a public school education. His portraits are in black and white crayon. He was one of the earliest American artists in black and white, and excelled in giving spirituality to his portraits and ideal female faces, which were sought by collectors.
When the poet Fitz-Greene Halleck expressed surprise that his portrait was not finished, Cheney said, “I will finish it,” whereupon he put his foot through lieutenant
He died in South Manchester, Connecticut. He was the brother of Ward Cheney, a prominent silk manufacturer of South Manchester, and John Cheney, an engraver.
