Mary Pillsbury Weston

Mary Bartlett Pillsbury Weston (January 5, 1817 – April 25, 1895)[1] was an American painter of the 19th century.

She was a landscape and portrait painter, known for her works such as “The Spirit of Kansas.” As a child she had always wanted to be an artist, even attempting to run away two times to pursue a career in art.

In 1837, she moved to Willington, Connecticut, where she started working by painting portraits for families who lived in the area.

After her husband’s death she bounced around the East Coast of the United States before settling down in Lawrence, Kansas in 1873.

[2] Mary Pillsbury Weston was known as a portrait and landscape painter who had many works of art but none being more famous than The Spirit of Kansas.