The American Romantic painter Washington Allston (1779-1843) spent from age 18 to 33 learning to become an artist. His training involved much reading, travel, and almost constant experimentation with pen and brush. This study is the first to examine extensively the growth of his aspirations in these years.

This dissertation discusses, in turn, Allston's stay at Harvard College (1796-1800), his period as an art student in London (1801-1803), his work and travel on the Continent, first in Paris and then in Rome, and his return to Boston (1808-1811). It contributes a careful analysis of important, but previously neglected early paintings. It provides new information both about Allston's intellectual development at Harvard and about his artistic endeavors in Paris and Rome. This study continues beyond 1811 to examine the lingering influence of Allston's early career upon him. It reveals that Allston continually looked back upon the imagery of his early career, and incorporated references to it in his later paintings.

The contribution that this dissertation makes to Allston scholarship is threefold: First, it expands the understanding of the impact of Europe upon him and his early art. Second, it shows that the concepts essential to Allston's mature romanticism developed much earlier than previously thought--in fact, the components of Allston's romantic thought were essentially in place by 1811. Third, the discovery that Allston, in his later paintings, recalled images and ideas from his early life enhances the understanding of the art of his maturity.