Feke << feek >>, Robert (1707?-1752?), was the earliest noteworthy American-born painter. His Portrait of Isaac Royall and His Family (1741) combines a knowledge of English portrait poses and the clear outlines of American primitive painting.
Feke was born in Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York. Little is known about his life. By 1741, he was painting portraits in Boston. He was married in 1742 in Newport, Rhode Island, where he lived until 1750. Feke traveled frequently in search of commissions.
See also Colonial life in America (Arts).
