Early Life, Family and Training

Born in 1840 in Zanesville, Ohio, Aurelius O. Revenaugh descended from a family of French Huguenot extraction. His early years were marked by a pursuit of science rather than the arts, as he eventually traveled to Ann Arbor to attend the University of Michigan. There, he focused his studies on medicine and successfully earned his degree. This academic foundation was interrupted by the onset of the Civil War, which saw him enlist in the signal corps of the Union Army.

Following the conclusion of the conflict, Revenaugh returned to Ann Arbor, but his interests had begun to shift away from the medical profession. Seeking a new vocation, he moved to Detroit, where he spent a brief period studying under a painter of Indian pictures, likely John Mix Stanley. This period of instruction provided the technical grounding necessary for his transition into a professional painter. He eventually moved through Michigan, living in Jackson before his eventual settlement in the South.

Life and Work in Louisville

In 1880, Revenaugh settled in Louisville, Kentucky, a move that would define the final decades of his life. He became a fixture of the local community, recognized by many as an artist of distinction. His professional life in the city was marked by a dual devotion to visual art and craftsmanship. While he was a painter, he also spent his time as a maker of violins, a pursuit that required a precision similar to his brushwork.

His reputation as a portraitist grew steadily throughout his years in Kentucky. He was frequently commissioned to capture the likenesses of individuals across the region, extending his reach into Woodford, Fayette, and Madison counties. These commissions reflected a demand for his specific ability to render the human figure, a skill that secured his place in the local social fabric. His work from this period remains held in various collections, including the Speed Museum and the Filson Historical Society.

• Portrait-Arnold, William (1907)

Later Years and Death

The final chapter of Revenaugh's life unfolded in Louisville, Kentucky, where he had established himself as a figure of distinction. His presence in the city was marked by a dual devotion to his craft and his community, balancing his work as a painter with his skill as a maker of violins. Even as his reputation grew, he remained a settled part of the local landscape, having called the city home for two decades.

His end came following a brief but severe struggle with illness. After suffering for ten days from an attack of pneumonia, the disease eventually reached his heart. He passed away at 12 o'clock noon at his residence on First Street. He was sixty-eight years old at the time of his death in 1908.