Early Life, Family and Training
Frederick Styles Agate was born on 29 January 1803 in the Sparta neighborhood of Ossining, New York. He was the son of Thomas Agate and Hannah Agate, whose origins were British. Artistry ran through the family, as Frederick was the brother of another painter, Alfred Thomas Agate.
The pull of the city arrived when he was fifteen. He moved to New York City to begin his formal training, studying painting under John Rubens Smith. By 1825, his path led him to the National Academy of Fine Arts in New York City. There, he studied under Samuel F. B. Morse. These early years in the city shaped his technical foundation before he established himself as a painter of historical and portrait subjects.
Travels and Later Years
In 1834, he left the familiar streets of New York to spend time in Paris and Florence. These years abroad, lasting through 1835, offered a different light and a different pace than the busy life he had known. He eventually returned to Sparta, New York, the place where his life began. The air in the Sparta neighborhood of Ossining was a far cry from the European cities he had visited.
His time in New York had been spent working as a historical and portrait painter, often from a studio at 152 Broadway. By the time he returned home, his health had begun to fail. He died in 1844 at the age of 41. Tuberculosis took him, a quiet end for a man who had spent his years capturing the likenesses and histories of others. He is buried in the Sparta Cemetery, resting next to his sister, Harriet Agate Carmichael.
Notable Artworks and Collections
His name is most often linked to the paintings Ugolino and Old Oaken Bucket. These works reflect a focus on historical and moralistic themes that defined much of his output. He also produced a drawing using pen and black ink, gray washes, and graphite on off-white wove paper, a piece that captures a more delicate, technical side of his hand.
Several of his pieces have found permanent homes in major institutions. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds his work titled Indians Lamenting the Approach of the White Man (from McGuire Scrapbook). This piece was created about 1830. Another significant work, Edwin Forrest in the Role of Metamora, is part of the collection at the National Portrait Gallery.
