Wightman was a native of
Charleston, South Carolina. His parents were William and English-born Matilda Sandys Williams Wightman, described by the
Southern Christian Advocate in 1882 as "in quite moderate circumstances," but "people of unusual intellect and intelligence, and of decidedly marked character"; his paternal grandfather, known as "Major Wightman" due to service in the
American Revolutionary War, was a British native who operated a jewelry shop in the city. He was encouraged in his creative ambitions by his father, as was his brother John; another brother,
William, would go on to become Methodist Bishop of South Carolina and president of
Wofford College. His father was an amateur painter, Otherwise, Wightman studied with
Henry Inman in
New York City; the date is not known, but might be around 1832, because he began contributing to the annual exhibitions of the
National Academy of Design in that year. The catalog showed his address as 75 White Street, in a well-established neighborhood, indicating that he was already seeing some success as a painter. He modeled his style of portraiture on that of Inman, and developed for himself a good clientele in both Charleston and New York. During the 1840s he traveled often between the two cities, Two still life pieces by Wightman are today in the Johnson Collection of Southern Art in Spartanburg, South Carolina. A self-portrait, submitted upon his designation as Associate in 1849, remains in the collection of the National Academy. ==References==