William Trego in his studio with "The Charge of the Fifth Regulars", 1893
Courtesy of the Mercer Museum/Bucks County Historical Society
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This is the earliest photograph we have of William Trego working in his studio in North Wales. It can be dated as 1893 thanks to the canvas on the easel, his painting of "The Charge of the Fifth Regulars at Gaines Mill," a work he did for the publisher, George Barrie, in 1893. Judging by the known height of that painting, about twenty-four inches, it would seem that Trego was a man of rather small stature.Other known paintings can be seen in the room. Above his easel, on the facing wall, can be seen the "Cavalry Sketch." In the upper right hand corner of the photograph can be glimpsed the legs of horses from his study of a "Horse Artillery Unit." Trego's portrait of his father, "Jonathan K. Trego," can be seen standing in the corner on the floor. Above it, on the wall, can be seen a portrait of a young woman. While this painting survives today, the very different style and the fact that there is no signature, provenance, or references, make it unlikely that it is from Trego's own hand.