A Day in May
Oil on canvas
Francis Speight
American-NC/PA
Speight became particularly known for his atmospheric views of Manayunk, an industrial neighborhood overlooking Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River. His paintings transformed crowded hillside homes, factories, quarries, bridges, and winding streets into richly textured compositions animated by bold brushwork and dramatic light. Although associated with American Regionalism and the Pennsylvania landscape tradition, Speight developed a distinctive style that balanced direct observation with emotional interpretation.
He joined the faculty of the Pennsylvania Academy in 1925 and taught there for more than three decades. In 1961, Speight returned to North Carolina with his wife, painter Sarah Blakeslee, and became artist-in-residence at East Carolina University. His later work increasingly focused on the farms, waterways, towns, and people of eastern North Carolina.
During his long career, Speight exhibited nationally and received numerous honors, including prizes from the National Academy of Design, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. His work is represented in major public collections, and he remains recognized as an important interpreter of both the industrial North and the rural South
Born in Bertie County,North Carolina 1896 - 1989
Francis Wayland Speight was an American painter and influential teacher celebrated for his expressive landscapes of Pennsylvania and his native North Carolina. Born on a farm in Bertie County, North Carolina, Speight developed an early appreciation for the rural landscape. He attended Wake Forest College and studied briefly at the Corcoran School of Art before enrolling at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1920. There he studied under noted American Impressionist Daniel Garber and received two Cresson Traveling Scholarships, which allowed him to continue his artistic education in Europe.
Tayloe House, North Carolina
Oil on canvas
Portrait of wife, a former student and fellow artist, Sarah Blakeslee
Francis Speight
View from West Manayunk
Speight became particularly known for his atmospheric views of Manayunk, an industrial neighborhood overlooking Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River. His paintings transformed crowded hillside homes, factories, quarries, bridges, and winding streets into richly textured compositions animated by bold brushwork and dramatic light. Although associated with American Regionalism and the Pennsylvania landscape tradition, Speight developed a distinctive style that balanced direct observation with emotional interpretation.
Fracis Speight
Sarah Blakeslee
He joined the faculty of the Pennsylvania Academy in 1925 and taught there for more than three decades. In 1961, Speight returned to North Carolina with his wife, painter Sarah Blakeslee, and became artist-in-residence at East Carolina University. His later work increasingly focused on the farms, waterways, towns, and people of eastern North Carolina.
During his long career, Speight exhibited nationally and received numerous honors, including prizes from the National Academy of Design, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. His work is represented in major public collections, and he remains recognized as an important interpreter of both the industrial North and the rural South
Sketch UNC, 1932
Oil on canvas
