Largely self-taught, William Edward West began as an itinerant portrait painter in the Mississippi River Valley before traveling extensively throughout the Unites States and Europe. Raised in Lexington, Kentucky, West moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, around 1807 where he briefly studied with Thomas Sully and was exposed to the work of Gilbert Stuart. In 1816, the artist left Philadelphia for New Orleans where he painted several portraits before fleeing to Natchez, Mississippi, to escape the deadly yellow-fever epidemic of 1817. West is credited with the design of the print Battle of New Orleans and the Death of Major General Packenham, January 8, 1815, first printed and published by Joseph Yeager in Philadelphia.