Joseph Wood: A Portraitist of American Icons Born in the nascent years of the late 18th century, Joseph Wood’s life and career unfolded against a backdrop of burgeoning American identity. While precise details of his early upbringing remain somewhat elusive – he was abandoned as an infant and raised in an orphanage – this formative experience undoubtedly shaped his artistic sensibility, fostering a keen awareness of human vulnerability and the complexities of social connection. His apprenticeship to a silversmith provided a foundational understanding of meticulous craftsmanship, a skill that…