1. A Secret Inheritance

Chapter one gives an overall view of William Rimmer's life, how he was perceived, and the impact of family mental illness on his life and reputation. Not only was Rimmer a bipolar artist but also his father mistakenly claimed to be the heir to the French throne, the missing Dauphin. Rimmer tried to make a living as a printmaker, a painter, and a sculptor. He also became a physician and an instructor in art anatomy. This last occupation provided his chief source of income. Self-taught and a Bostonian, he strayed outside of New England only to teach in New York at the Cooper Union School of Design for Women of which he became director. Although he achieved fame internationally as a sculptor and author of two books on art anatomy, he exhibited rarely and created most of his artwork for family and friends.