Rimmer, William (1816–1879)

English-born US painter and sculptor. He is best known for his publication The Elements of Design 1864, and for his mystical and enigmatic paintings, such as Flight and Pursuit 1872.

Born in Liverpool, his family emigrated to the Boston area in 1818. His father claimed he was the lost Dauphin of France, a claim William also made. William grew up in poverty, and after working as a typesetter, cobbler, and self-taught doctor, he became a sculptor, painter, and respected teacher in New York and Boston.