About John Valentine Haidt
John Valentine Haidt (1700-1780)
John Valentine Haidt was born in Danzig, Germany on October 4, 1700. He joined the Moravian community of Herrnhaag, Germany in 1740 and soon began to produce oil paintings for the Moravians. In 1754 Haidt, one of the first colonial American painters to treat religious subjects, arrived in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He resided in Bethlehem, except when he was away on church work, until his death in 1780. His extant paintings, all done under the auspices of the Moravian church, include Biblical scenes, portraits, and historical canvases.
- Vernon Nelson *
The majority of Haidt's American paintings are located in the Moravian Archives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and the Moravian Historical Society in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.
* Vernon Nelson is currently working on a book on the life and work of John Valentine Haidt. It is scheduled for publication in 2004.
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