Addison Center

1830 - 1892

Civil War veteran and Gloucester native Addison Center was one of just three artists listed in the 1858 Cape Ann Weekly Advertiser, along with Alfred J. Wiggin and Fitz Henry Lane. Like Wiggin, Center was self-taught and by the age of 25, was confident enough in his skills to call himself a painter. Center has the distinction of being one of a very few artists known to have collaborated with Fitz Henry Lane: the two worked together on a tableau for the town’s Library Festival in 1858.

When the Civil War broke out, Addison Center enlisted and was made captain of Company G, 8th Regiment Volunteer Militia; he later served as commander of the Essex Guard. Discharged in 1864, he returned to his family’s Main Street stationery store in Gloucester and became active in politics. He served two terms in the state legislature and as deputy collector of customs for the port of Gloucester for almost 20 years.

Painting and draftsmanship were a passion for Center. In 1866, soon after returning from war, he painted several portraits of war heroes, including one of General Ulysses S. Grant that was displayed at Gloucester City Hall. Paintings of important people were often hung in Main Street shop windows, which served as window galleries for the public. Center’s portraits of war heroes led to commissions from local people. In addition to portraiture, Center painted still lifes, landscapes and seascapes, frequently working from photographs. In 1872, Center designed a new seal for the town of Gloucester. It was based on a painting done by Fitz Henry Lane many years before, showing a fishing schooner anchored on the banks.