William Russell Sweet

William Russell Sweet [1] was known throughout the Narragansett, Rhode Island, area as "The Painter", (documented by the post office receiving postcards and letter under such title) because of his prolific art works in watercolor and oil paintings, many wall murals done for the Newport, Rhode Island, mansions, his restoration artwork, and his masterful wood carving of furniture and wall mounts.

On loan to South County History Center by his family, samples of William Russell Sweet carved wood chairs and wall plaques, some of his watercolors, and this magnificent hutch cabinet (photos below) themed upon the classical poem "The Song of Hiawatha" from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

[4] William Russell Sweet described each section of "The Song of Hiawatha" from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, which influenced him while creating his artwork and carving the individual panels that comprise the hutch cabinet: (WRS) "Hiawatha was troubled because his people had no way to record the great events of their life and history, or to give the names of the honored dead, or to remember the wisdom of their ancestors, he showed them how to make picture-writing."

Sent it singing on its errand, To the red heart of the roebuck; Threw the deer across his shoulder, And sped forward without pausing..." (WRS) "Kwasind, "the very strong man", was killed by envious dwarfs as he was floating, asleep, down the river in his canoe.

They threw pine cones at him (the only things that could harm him) hitting him on his one vulnerable spot (the top of his head) and he toppled, dead, out of his canoe."

And he dropped his line of cedar Through the clear, transparent water..." William Russell Sweet's family Welsh genealogy dates from John Swete 1450 (Traine, Modbury, Devon, England) through Robert Sweet (1552–1578) and Johanna Rainham (London, England) whose son, John Sweet (1579–1637),[5] emigrated with his wife Mary Periam and their three children John, James and Meribah, to Salem, Massachusetts, March 20, 1630, on the Winthrop Fleet,[6] which departed from Plymouth, England to arrive in Salem, Massachusetts.

The Sweet family were said to be remarkable, happy natured people,[9] William Russell Sweet was known throughout the Narragansett area as ‘Sweet-The Painter’ (The post office delivered postcards under such title) because of his prolific art works in watercolors, gouaches and oils, many wall murals and restorations created for the famed Newport mansions, and his masterful wood carvings of furniture and wall mounts.

In 1896, William Russell Sweet created a hutch cabinet themed upon the classical poem "The Song of Hiawatha" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published in 1855.

This piece of artwork stood in the family parlor and exhibited William's personal collection of Narragansett Indian ‘art-of-fact’ as arrow heads and stone tools found in the soil around southern Rhode Island.