Porter was born most likely in 1847 in Hartford, Connecticut.
His father was possibly a mill worker and his mother worked as a servant.
Porter's family moved to what was then the nearby village of Rockville (now part of Vernon, Connecticut) by the early 1850s.
 The family suffered many losses when Porter was young.
They endured poverty and tragedy just a few years after moving to Rockville.
Porter lost seven of his siblings to illness and one to war between 1858 and 1868.

Porter's brothers, Joseph and William, enlisted in the Union Army in 1863.
 Joseph joined the 29th Connecticut Infantry Regiment (Colored) and William joined the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (Colored).
Joseph was killed in Virginia in 1864, and was buried in Rockville just days before his regiment returned home.
William became seriously ill with malaria and was granted a disability discharge in January 1865.

Porter was his family's first child to attend high school, graduating in 1865.
Porter left Rockville in 1868 to study painting in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, a town twenty miles north of Rockville.
In 1869, after two years of art study at Wesleyan Academy (now known as the Wilbraham & Monson Academy), Porter enrolled at the prestigious National Academy of Design in October 1869, becoming the first African-American admitted to the school.

Porter attended  the art school until the spring of 1873.
While at the school, and for the first time, Porter began exhibiting his work.
A painting titled Autumn Leaves was shown in the school's summer exhibition.
In May 1870, Porter was among eight art students whose drawings, as part of a large school exhibition, were given special mention in the New York Times.
Porter received widespread praise and attention for his work during his four years at the National Academy, earning the support of prominent benefactors such as Frederic Edwin Church and famous author Mark Twain, who lived in Hartford.
Porter was born most likely in 1847 in Hartford, Connecticut. His father was possibly a mill worker and his mother worked as a servant. Porter's family moved to what was then the nearby village of Rockville (now part of Vernon, Connecticut) by the early 1850s.  The family suffered many losses when Porter was young. They endured poverty and tragedy just a few years after moving to Rockville. Porter lost seven of his siblings to illness and one to war between 1858 and 1868.
Porter's brothers, Joseph and William, enlisted in the Union Army in 1863.  Joseph joined the 29th Connecticut Infantry Regiment (Colored) and William joined the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (Colored). Joseph was killed in Virginia in 1864, and was buried in Rockville just days before his regiment returned home. William became seriously ill with malaria and was granted a disability discharge in January 1865.
Porter was his family's first child to attend high school, graduating in 1865. Porter left Rockville in 1868 to study painting in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, a town twenty miles north of Rockville. In 1869, after two years of art study at Wesleyan Academy (now known as the Wilbraham & Monson Academy), Porter enrolled at the prestigious National Academy of Design in October 1869, becoming the first African-American admitted to the school.
Porter attended  the art school until the spring of 1873. While at the school, and for the first time, Porter began exhibiting his work. A painting titled Autumn Leaves was shown in the school's summer exhibition. In May 1870, Porter was among eight art students whose drawings, as part of a large school exhibition, were given special mention in the New York Times. Porter received widespread praise and attention for his work during his four years at the National Academy, earning the support of prominent benefactors such as Frederic Edwin Church and famous author Mark Twain, who lived in Hartford.
Charles Ethan Porter