[4] George's father James was born in England and came to the United States as a child.

[4] George attended public schools in Providence, where his skills at drawing became evident.

[4] At age 14, George lived at the North American Phalanx, a transcendental community at Red Bank, New Jersey.

[6] The following year he apprenticed with his uncle Nathaniel Monday, an engraver in New York City.

[2] His attention then turned to Europe, and went to study with Hungarian painter László Paál in Paris.

[2] Whitaker was also a regular attendee at the Sunday evening drawing-room gatherings held by Sarah Helen Whitman.

[2] Whitaker played a prominent role in the 1877 founding of the Rhode Island School of Design, and was its first instructor of oil painting.

In later life, Whitaker was not a fan of the more modern art movements coming out of Europe; for example, he considered Futurism a detrimental fad.

[1] His work is in the permanent collections at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence Art Club, Rhode Island Historical Society, and Kresge Art Museum at Michigan State University.

[1] In 2019, the Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum held a retrospective of Whitaker's work titled "The Mind’s Eye: The Art and Influence of George W.