Born August 9, 1792 in Needham, MA. Alvan Fisher grew up in nearby Dedham. He began painting about 1812and received his first instruction from John Ritto Penniman. Initially a portrait painter, he turned in about 1815 to rural genre scenes. After 1819, portrait painting again supplied his chief income.
In 1817, Fisher exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and also lived in Boston during that time. He traveled widely in search of commissions, including such places as Charleston, S.C., and Hartford, CN. In 1825, he went to Europe and studied briefly in Paris. In 1826 he returned to U.S. and settled permanently in Boston.
He frequently exhibited at the Boston Athenaeum, National Academy of Design, Pennsylvania Academy, Apollo Association and the Maryland Historical Society. He was an honorary member of the National Academy of Design. Fisher died on 13 or 14 of February 1863, in Dedham, MA.
$#COLE, THOMAS
##Thomas Cole 1801-1848
Thomas Cole was Born on February 1, 1801 in Bolton-le-Moor, Lancashire, England. In about 1817, he worked as engraver's assistant in Liverpool. In 1818, he moved with family to the United States. He stayed in Philadelphia while family continued to Steubenville, OH.
While in Philadelphia, Cole worked as textile print designer, and also did the engraved illustrations for Bunyan's Holy War. In 1819, he sailed to the West Indies then joined his family in Steubenville Ohio, where he remained until early 1823.
Cole studied painting with an itinerant artist, where he painted portraits, landscapes, and religious scenes. In 1823 he moved to Pittsburgh,and then returned to Philadelphia, where he studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. While there, he exhibited a landscape in 1824.
In 1825, Cole moved to New York City and traveled throughout the Hudson River Valley. In 1826, he was elected to the National Academy of Design. He exhibited both at the National Academy and at the American Academy of Fine Arts.
In 1829, Cole visited Niagara Falls in May, and sailed for England in June. While in London, he met John Constable and J.M.W. Turner; exhibited at theBritish Institution and the Royal Academy in 1830 and 1831. In 1832 Cole visited Paris, Florence, Rome, Naples and Paestum, and did not return to New York until late 1832.
In 1835, Cole wrote his "Essay on American Scenery." In 1836, he married Maria Bartow; settled in Catskill, NY and in 1839, began a series of paintings--The Voyage of Life. During the years 1841-42, Cole traveled to London, France, Switzerland, Rome and Sicily before returning to New York. In 1844 Cole became the teacher of Frederic Church. He died on February 8, 1848 in Catskill NY.
$#KING, CHARLES BIRD
##Charles Bird King 1785-1862
Charles Bird King was born on September 26, 1785 in Newport, RI. In 1789, his father was killed by Indians at Marietta, OH.
King received childhood art lessons from his grandfather, Nathaniel Bird, and a neighbor, Samuel King. During the years 1800-1805, he was apprenticed to Edward Savage. In 1806, he traveled to London, where he studied with Benjamin West and was widely acquainted with American and English artists. Upon his return to the United States in 1812, King settled in Philadelphia where he was elected academician of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
In 1813, King exhibited four paintings at th Pennsylvania Academy. He apparently lived for a time in Richmond VA, before moving to Washington in 1814. In 1815, he moved to Baltimore. In 1817 and 1818, he exhibited several works at the Pennsylvania Academy.
Late in 1818, King settled permanently in Washington, where he established his painting rooms at Twelfth and F streets. In 1822, he began painting Indian portraits for the War Department. This commisssion continued regularly until 1830, and sporadically thereafter until 1842.
In 1825, King was appointed by President John Quincy Adams to a three-man jury for a sculptural design for the Capitol. In 1827, he was elected an honorary member of the National Academy of Design.
King exhibited at the Boston Athenaeum in, 1831-32. In 1837-38, two volumes of McKenney and Hall's History of the Indian Tribes of North America appeared, illustrated with lithographs based on King's Indian Gallery.
In 1850, King opened a public gallery of art in his home, but it was soon discontinued. In 1854, the Danish National Museum acquired nine of his Indian portraits, and in 1858, his Indian Gallery was transferred from the Patent Office Building to the Smithsonian Institution Building.
King gave seventy-eight paintings to Redwood Library and Athenaeum, Newport, RI in 1858 , and in 1861, gave the library another forty-two paintings, as well as books, maps, and engravings.
Charles Bird King died on March 18, 1862, in Washington, DC. His bequest to the Redwood Library included an additional 75 paintings and 395 books.
$#SARGENT, JOHN SINGER
##John Singer Sargent 1856-1925
John Singer Sargent was born on January 12, 1856, in Florence, Italy. In 1865, he was taken to London, by his mother, to meet his father. He, along with his family, traveled throughout Europe in 1868. He was sent to the studio of painter Carl Welsh in Rome to study in 1868 where he remained for a year. In 1869 he traveled to Florence to study at the Academia delle Belle Art.
Sargent spent the years of 1871-72 in Dresden. In 1874 he visited Venice, Normandy, and Paris where he studied with Carolus-Duran until 1878. 1876 marked his first visit to the United States where the following year he exhibited first painting at the Paris Salon where he received an honorable mention. Sargent also exhibited with Society of American Artists at National Academy of Design in New York.
In 1879, on a visit to Spain, Sargent met Henry Adams. In the years 1880-83, he lived in Morocco, Holland, Venice, London and Paris. In 1884, he exhibited Mme. Gautreau (Mme. X) at Salon. The subsequent scandal resulted in his move to London.
In 1885, he took Whistler's old studio, which became his permanent residence. From 1887 on, he exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
In 1887, Sargent returned to th U.S., where he painted portraits of Mrs. Jack (Isabella Stewart) Gardner and other sitters in Boston and Newport. 1888 marked his first Boston exhibition at St. Botolph Club. In 1888, he went back to England with his family, and in 1889 he traveled to Paris to receive the Medal of Honor, Exposition Universelle.While he was in Paris, he was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor (later in 1897, he became an officer). In 1890, he became a founding member of the Societe Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Paris;
In 1891 Sargent again returned to the U. S. and was commissioned to paint murals for the Boston Public Library (which were not completed until 1916). In 1891, he was elected associate, National Academy of Design and in 1897 received the title of academician of the National Academy.
In 1893, Sargent sent nine paintings to the Chicago World's Fair, and in 1894, was elected associate, Royal Academy of Arts in London. In 1899, he mounted a one-man show, at the Copely Galleries in Boston.
In his lifetime, Sargent received many awards and accolades. Among them are: 1900, Medal of Honor, Exposition Universelle. 1907, awarded Gold Medal, Venice Biennial. 1909, given Ordre pour le merite and Order of Leopold of Belgium. 1914, Gold Medal in Painting, National Institute of Arts and Letters and American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York. 1915, exhibited at Panama-Pacific Exhibition, San Francisco.
In 1916, Sargent began the rotunda decorations for the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (installed 1921) and essentially ceased painting portraits. In 1918, he became the official artist for Imperial War Museum, London and in 1922, painted murals in Widener Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. In 1924, a retrospective exhibition was shown at the Grand Central Art Galleries, New York.
Sargent died on April 15, 1925, in London.
$#CASSATT, MARY
##Mary Cassatt 1844-1926
Born May 22, 1844 in Allegheny City, PA near Pittsburgh, Mary Cassatt moved with her family to Paris in 1851. In 1853, her family again moved to Heidelberg, Germany, and then, later, to Darmstadt. In 1855, they returned to America, to West Chester, PA. finally settling in Philadelphia in 1858. In the years 1861-65, Cassatt was enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. In 1866, she went to Paris to study art, largely independently.
Cassat was forced to return to Philadelphia in 1870 by the outbreak of Franco-Prussian War. In 1871, she again moved to Europe, this time settling in Parma, Italy. 1872 marked the first showing of her works at the Paris Salon, under the name Mary Stevenson.
In 1873, Cassatt traveled extensively in Spain, Belgium, and Holland before she settled permanently in Paris. There she met Louisine Waldron Elder, (who later became Mrs. H.O. Havemeyer in 1883), who became her friend and patron.
In 1877, Cassatt was introduced to Degas, who asked her to join the Impressionist group. Later that year, her parents and sister came to Paris to live with her.
In 1878, she sent pictures to exhibitions in the U.S., and in 1879, participated in fourth Impressionist exhibition in Paris(and again in 1880, 1881, and 1886). Her work was included in the Durand-Ruel Impressionist shows in London (1883) and New York (1886).
In 1891, Cassatt began work on a mural commission for the Woman's Building in the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, and in 1895, mounted a large one-woman show at the Durnad-Ruel Callery in New York.
In 1898, she visited America for first time since 1871, but, returned to Paris the following year, where in 1904, she was named a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor.
1908 marked her last visit to America, and in 1910-11, traveled extensively with her family in the Near East. She returned to Paris in March because of her brother's illness, but he died in April causing her to suffer both a physical and a mental breakdown.
Because of failing eyesight, she did her last works in pastel in 1913.
Several unsuccessful operations for cataracts were attempted to save her vision, but the last one in 1921 left her almost blind.
Mary Cassatt died on June 14, 1926 at her home, Chateau de Beaufresne.
