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{{Short description|American painter (1852–1911)}}
{{Short description|American painter (1852–1911)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2013}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2013}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2026}}
{{Infobox artist
{{Infobox artist
| name          = Edwin Austin Abbey
| name          = Edwin Austin Abbey
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| death_date    = {{death date and age |1911|8|1|1852|4|1}}
| death_date    = {{death date and age |1911|8|1|1852|4|1}}
| death_place  = [[London]], England
| death_place  = [[London]], England
| nationality  = American
| field        = Painting
| field        = Painting
| training      = [[Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts]]
| training      = [[Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts]]
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| footnotes    =  
| footnotes    =  
}}
}}
'''Edwin Austin Abbey''' {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|RA}} (April 1, 1852{{snd}}August 1, 1911) was an American muralist, illustrator, and painter. He flourished at the beginning of what is now referred to as the "golden age" of [[illustration]], and is best known for his drawings and paintings of [[Shakespeare]]an and [[Victorian era|Victorian]] subjects, as well as for his painting of [[Edward VII]]'s [[Coronation of Edward VII and Alexandra|coronation]].<ref name="EB"/><ref>[[Chambers Biographical Dictionary]], {{ISBN|0-550-18022-2}}, page 2</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Saint-Guadens |first=Homer |date=May 1908 |title=Edwin Austin Abbey: The Career Of A Great American Artist |journal=[[World's Work|The World's Work: A History of Our Time]] |volume=XVI |pages=10191–10124 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=naaZD2r_coMC&pg=PA10191|access-date=2009-07-10 }}</ref> His most famous set of murals, ''The Quest and Achievement of the [[Holy Grail]]'', adorns the [[Boston Central Library]].
'''Edwin Austin Abbey''' (April 1, 1852{{snd}}August 1, 1911) was an American muralist, illustrator, and painter. He flourished at the beginning of what is now referred to as the "golden age" of [[illustration]], and is best known for his drawings and paintings of [[Shakespeare]]an and [[Victorian era|Victorian]] subjects, as well as for his painting of [[Edward VII]]'s [[Coronation of Edward VII and Alexandra|coronation]].<ref name="EB"/><ref>[[Chambers Biographical Dictionary]], {{ISBN|0-550-18022-2}}, page 2</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Saint-Guadens |first=Homer |date=May 1908 |title=Edwin Austin Abbey: The Career Of A Great American Artist |journal=[[World's Work|The World's Work: A History of Our Time]] |volume=XVI |pages=10191–10124 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=naaZD2r_coMC&pg=PA10191|access-date=2009-07-10 }}</ref> His most famous set of murals, ''The Quest and Achievement of the [[Holy Grail]]'', adorns the [[Boston Central Library]].


==Early life and education==
==Early life and education==
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==Career==
==Career==
[[File:Edwin Austin Abbey King Lear, Act I, Scene I The Metropolitan Museum of Art.jpg|thumb|''King Lear, Act I, Scene I'' (1897–98) now housed at the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]]]
[[File:Edwin Austin Abbey King Lear, Act I, Scene I The Metropolitan Museum of Art.jpg|thumb|''King Lear, Act I, Scene I'' (1897–98) now housed at the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]]]
Abbey began as an illustrator, producing numerous illustrations and sketches magazines, including ''[[Harper's Weekly]]'' (1871–1874) and ''[[Scribner's Magazine]]''. His illustrations began appearing in [[Harper's Weekly]] before Abbey was twenty years old. He moved to New York City in 1871. His illustrations were strongly influenced by French and German black and white art:<ref name="Souter, Nick and Tessa 2012 16">{{cite book|last=Souter, Nick and Tessa|title=The Illustration Handbook: A guide to the world's greatest illustrators|year=2012|publisher=Oceana|isbn=978-1-84573-473-2|pages=16}}</ref> [[Adolf Menzel]] and [[Daniel Vierge]]; and by English artists.<ref name="ODNB"/> He illustrated several best-selling books, including ''Christmas Stories'' by [[Charles Dickens]] (1875), ''Selections from the Poetry of [[Robert Herrick (poet)|Robert Herrick]]'' (1882), and ''She Stoops to Conquer'' by [[Oliver Goldsmith]] (1887). Abbey also illustrated a four-volume set of ''The Comedies of Shakespeare'' for Harper & Brothers in 1896.
Abbey began as an illustrator, producing numerous illustrations and sketches magazines, including ''[[Harper's Weekly]]'' (1871–1874) and ''[[Scribner's Magazine]]''. His illustrations began appearing in [[Harper's Weekly]] before Abbey was twenty years old. He moved to New York City in 1871. His illustrations were strongly influenced by French and German black and white art:<ref name="Souter, Nick and Tessa 2012 16">{{cite book|last=Souter, Nick and Tessa|title=The Illustration Handbook: A guide to the world's greatest illustrators|year=2012|publisher=Oceana|isbn=978-1-84573-473-2|pages=16}}</ref> [[Adolph Menzel]] and [[Daniel Vierge]]; and by English artists.<ref name="ODNB"/> He illustrated several best-selling books, including ''Christmas Stories'' by [[Charles Dickens]] (1875), ''Selections from the Poetry of [[Robert Herrick (poet)|Robert Herrick]]'' (1882), and ''She Stoops to Conquer'' by [[Oliver Goldsmith]] (1887). Abbey also illustrated a four-volume set of ''The Comedies of Shakespeare'' for Harper & Brothers in 1896.


In 1878, he moved to England at the request of his employers to gather material for illustrations of the poems of [[Robert Herrick (poet)|Robert Herrick]],<ref name="EB">{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|title=Abbey, Edwin Austin|edition=15th|year=2010|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.|volume=I: A–Ak – Bayes|location=Chicago, Illinois|isbn=978-1-59339-837-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia2009ency/page/12 12]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia2009ency/page/12}}</ref> published in 1882,<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y |wstitle=Abbey, Edwin Austin |volume=1 |page=11}}</ref> and he settled permanently there in 1883.<ref name="Colliers">{{cite encyclopedia|last1=Swenson|first1=Eleanor B.|editor-first=Bernard|editor-last=Johnston|encyclopedia=Collier's Encyclopedia |title=Edwin Austin Abbey|edition=First |year=1997|publisher=P.F. Collier|volume=I A to Ameland|location=New York, NY|pages=8}}</ref>
In 1878, he moved to England at the request of his employers to gather material for illustrations of the poems of [[Robert Herrick (poet)|Robert Herrick]],<ref name="EB">{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|title=Abbey, Edwin Austin|edition=15th|year=2010|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.|volume=I: A–Ak – Bayes|location=Chicago, Illinois|isbn=978-1-59339-837-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia2009ency/page/12 12]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia2009ency/page/12}}</ref> published in 1882,<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y |wstitle=Abbey, Edwin Austin |volume=1 |page=11}}</ref> and he settled permanently there in 1883.<ref name="Colliers">{{cite encyclopedia|last1=Swenson|first1=Eleanor B.|editor-first=Bernard|editor-last=Johnston|encyclopedia=Collier's Encyclopedia |title=Edwin Austin Abbey|edition=First |year=1997|publisher=P.F. Collier|volume=I A to Ameland|location=New York, NY|pages=8}}</ref>
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In 1883, he was elected to the [[Royal Institute of Painters in Water-Colours]].<ref name="EB"/> About this time, he was appraised critically by the American writer, [[Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin|S.G.W. Benjamin]]:
In 1883, he was elected to the [[Royal Institute of Painters in Water-Colours]].<ref name="EB"/> About this time, he was appraised critically by the American writer, [[Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin|S.G.W. Benjamin]]:


{{blockquote|It must be taken into consideration that he is still very young; that he now for the first time visits the studios and galleries of Europe; that his advantages for a regular art education have been very moderate, and that he is practically self-educated. And then compare with these disadvantages the amount and the quality of the illustrations he has turned out, and we see represented in him genius of a high order, combining almost inexhaustible creativeness, clearness and vividness of conception, a versatile fancy, a poetic perception of beauty, a quaint, delicate humor, a wonderful grasp of whatever is weird and mysterious, and admirable chiaro-oscuro, drawing, and composition. When we note such a rare combination of qualities, we cease to be surprised at the cordial recognition awarded his genius by the best judges, both in London and Paris, even before he had left this country.<ref>[[Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin|S.G.W. Benjamin]], ''[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/40604/40604-h/40604-h.htm Art in America: A Critical and Historical Sketch]'', Harpers, 1880</ref>}}
{{blockquote|It must be taken into consideration that he is still very young; that he now for the first time visits the studios and galleries of Europe; that his advantages for a regular art education have been very moderate, and that he is practically self-educated. And then compare with these disadvantages the amount and the quality of the illustrations he has turned out, and we see represented in him genius of a high order, combining almost inexhaustible creativeness, clearness and vividness of conception, a versatile fancy, a poetic perception of beauty, a quaint, delicate humor, a wonderful grasp of whatever is weird and mysterious, and admirable chiaro-oscuro, drawing, and composition. When we note such a rare combination of qualities, we cease to be surprised at the cordial recognition awarded his genius by the best judges, both in London and Paris, even before he had left this country.<ref>[[Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin|S.G.W. Benjamin]], ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/files/40604/40604-h/40604-h.htm Art in America: A Critical and Historical Sketch]'', Harpers, 1880</ref>}}


He also created illustrations for [[Oliver Goldsmith|Goldsmith's]] ''[[She Stoops to Conquer]]'' (1887), for a volume of ''Old Songs'' (1889), and for the comedies (and a few of the tragedies) of [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]]. Among his water-colours are "The Evil Eye" (1877), "The Rose in October" (1879), "An Old Song" (1886), "The Visitors" (1890), and "The Jongleur" (1892). Possibly his best known pastels are "Beatrice", "Phyllis", and "Two Noble Kinsmen".<ref name="EB1911"/>
He also created illustrations for [[Oliver Goldsmith|Goldsmith's]] ''[[She Stoops to Conquer]]'' (1887), for a volume of ''Old Songs'' (1889), and for the comedies (and a few of the tragedies) of [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]]. Among his water-colours are "The Evil Eye" (1877), "The Rose in October" (1879), "An Old Song" (1886), "The Visitors" (1890), and "The Jongleur" (1892). Possibly his best known pastels are "Beatrice", "Phyllis", and "Two Noble Kinsmen".<ref name="EB1911"/>
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In 1890, he made his first appearance with an oil painting, "A May Day Morn", at the [[Royal Academy of Arts|Royal Academy]] in London. He exhibited "Richard duke of Gloucester and the Lady Anne" there in 1896, and in that year was elected [[Royal Academy of Arts#Membership|A.R.A.]], becoming a full member in 1898.<ref name="EB1911"/> He received a gold medal at the [[Pan-American Exposition]] and was commissioned to paint the [[Coronation of Edward VII and Alexandra|coronation]] of King [[Edward VII]] in 1901;<ref name="BDA1906" /> in the next year, he was chosen to paint the coronation. It was the official painting of the occasion and, hence, resides at [[Buckingham Palace]]. He did receive a knighthood,<ref name="Colliers"/> although some say he refused it in 1907. Friendly with other expatriate American artists, he summered at [[Broadway, Worcestershire|Broadway]], Worcestershire, England, where he painted and vacationed alongside [[John Singer Sargent]] at the home of [[Francis Davis Millet]].
In 1890, he made his first appearance with an oil painting, "A May Day Morn", at the [[Royal Academy of Arts|Royal Academy]] in London. He exhibited "Richard duke of Gloucester and the Lady Anne" there in 1896, and in that year was elected [[Royal Academy of Arts#Membership|A.R.A.]], becoming a full member in 1898.<ref name="EB1911"/> He received a gold medal at the [[Pan-American Exposition]] and was commissioned to paint the [[Coronation of Edward VII and Alexandra|coronation]] of King [[Edward VII]] in 1901;<ref name="BDA1906" /> in the next year, he was chosen to paint the coronation. It was the official painting of the occasion and, hence, resides at [[Buckingham Palace]]. He did receive a knighthood,<ref name="Colliers"/> although some say he refused it in 1907. Friendly with other expatriate American artists, he summered at [[Broadway, Worcestershire|Broadway]], Worcestershire, England, where he painted and vacationed alongside [[John Singer Sargent]] at the home of [[Francis Davis Millet]].


He completed murals for the [[Boston Central Library]] in the 1890s.<ref name="BDA1906" /> The frieze for the Library was titled "The Quest and Achievement of the Holy Grail". It took Abbey eleven years to complete this series of murals in his England studio. In 1897 he received the honorary degree of [[Master of Arts|A.M.]] from Yale university.<ref name="BDA1906" /> In 2024, [[Yale University Art Gallery]] completed restoration of his "Study for the Apotheosis of Pennsylvania" using a technique known as "mist lining" which repaired structural defects in the canvas.<ref>{{Cite web |last=YaleToday |date=March 11, 2024 |title=P.S. |url=https://news.yale.edu |website=YaleNews}}</ref>
He completed murals for the [[Boston Central Library]] in the 1890s.<ref name="BDA1906" /> The frieze for the Library was titled "The Quest and Achievement of the Holy Grail". It took Abbey eleven years to complete this series of murals in his England studio. In 1897 he received the honorary degree of [[Master of Arts|A.M.]] from Yale university.<ref name="BDA1906" /> In 2024, the [[Yale University Art Gallery]] completed restoration of his "[[Study for the Apotheosis of Pennsylvania]]" using a technique known as "mist lining" which repaired structural defects in the canvas.<ref>{{Cite web |last=YaleToday |date=March 11, 2024 |title=P.S. |url=https://news.yale.edu |website=YaleNews}}</ref>


In 1904 he painted a mural for the [[Royal Exchange, London|Royal Exchange]], London ''Reconciliation of the Skinners & Merchant Taylors' Companies by Lord Mayor Billesden, 1484''.
In 1904 he painted a mural for the [[Royal Exchange, London|Royal Exchange]], London ''Reconciliation of the Skinners & Merchant Taylors' Companies by Lord Mayor Billesden, 1484''.
Line 52: Line 52:


==Death==
==Death==
On August 11, 1911, Abbey died in London. William Simmonds travelled from England to install the completed murals with Abbey's widow Gertrude. The remaining two rooms, which Abbey had been unable to finish, were given to [[Violet Oakley]], who completed the commission using her own designs.
On August 1st, 1911, Abbey died in London. William Simmonds travelled from England to install the completed murals with Abbey's widow Gertrude. The remaining two rooms, which Abbey had been unable to finish, were given to [[Violet Oakley]], who completed the commission using her own designs.


==Legacy==
==Legacy==
Abbey was elected to the [[National Academy of Design]], in 1902,<ref name="EB"/> and [[The American Academy of Arts and Letters]]. He was honorary member of the Royal Bavarian Society and the [[Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts]], and was made a chevalier of the French [[Legion of Honour]].<ref name="EB1911"/> He was a prolific illustrator, and attention to detail, including historical accuracy, influenced successive generations of illustrators.<ref name="Souter, Nick and Tessa 2012 16"/>
Abbey was elected to the [[National Academy of Design]], in 1902,<ref name="EB"/> and [[The American Academy of Arts and Letters]]. He was honorary member of the Royal Bavarian Society and the [[Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts]], and was made a chevalier of the French [[Legion of Honour]].<ref name="EB1911"/> He was a prolific illustrator, and attention to detail, including historical accuracy, influenced successive generations of illustrators.<ref name="Souter, Nick and Tessa 2012 16"/>


Edwin had been a keen supporter of the newly founded [[British School at Rome]] (BSR), so, in his memory, his widow donated £6000 to assist in building the artists' studio block and, in 1926, founded the Incorporated Edwin Austin Abbey Memorial Scholarships.<ref name="Edwin">{{cite web |url=http://www.abbey.org.uk/about_the_awards.php |title=Abbey Awards website |access-date=March 24, 2014 |archive-date=January 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170114083631/http://www.abbey.org.uk/about_the_awards.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> The scholarships were established to enable British and American painters to pursue their practice. Recipients of Abbey funding – Scholars and, more recently, Fellows – devote their scholarship to working in the studios at the BSR, where there has, ever since, been at least one Abbey-funded artist in residence. Previous award holders include [[Stephen Farthing]], [[Chantal Joffe]] and [[Spartacus Chetwynd]]. [[British School at Rome#Awards and Fellowships|The Abbey Fellowships]] (formerly 'Awards') were established in their present form in 1990, and the Abbey studios also host the BSR's other Fine Art residencies, such as the [[Derek Hill (painter)#Rome and the Derek Hill Foundation|Derek Hill Foundation Scholarship]] and the [[British School at Rome#Awards and Fellowships|Sainsbury Scholarship in Painting and Drawing]]. A bust of Edwin Abbey, by [[Sir Thomas Brock]], stands in the courtyard of the BSR.<ref name="Bust">{{cite web | url=http://www.victorianweb.org/sculpture/brock/38.html | title=Edwin Abbey by Thomas Brock on The Victorian Web website}}</ref>
Edwin had been a keen supporter of the newly founded [[British School at Rome]] (BSR), so, in his memory, his widow donated £6000 to assist in building the artists' studio block and, in 1926, founded the Incorporated Edwin Austin Abbey Memorial Scholarships.<ref name="Edwin">{{cite web |url=http://www.abbey.org.uk/about_the_awards.php |title=Abbey Awards website |access-date=March 24, 2014 |archive-date=January 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170114083631/http://www.abbey.org.uk/about_the_awards.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> The scholarships were established to enable British and American painters to pursue their practice. Recipients of Abbey funding – Scholars and, more recently, Fellows – devote their scholarship to working in the studios at the BSR, where there has, ever since, been at least one Abbey-funded artist in residence. Previous award holders include [[Stephen Farthing]], [[Chantal Joffe]] and [[Spartacus Chetwynd]]. [[British School at Rome#Awards and Fellowships|The Abbey Fellowships]] (formerly 'Awards') were established in their present form in 1990, and the Abbey studios also host the BSR's other Fine Art residencies, such as the [[Derek Hill (painter)#Rome and the Derek Hill Foundation|Derek Hill Foundation Scholarship]] and the [[British School at Rome#Awards and Fellowships|Sainsbury Scholarship in Painting and Drawing]]. A bust of Edwin Abbey, by [[Sir Thomas Brock]], stands in the courtyard of the BSR.<ref name="Bust">{{cite web | url=https://www.victorianweb.org/sculpture/brock/38.html | title=Edwin Abbey by Thomas Brock on The Victorian Web website}}</ref>


Edwin also left works to the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] in New York, to the [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]] and to the [[National Gallery]] in London.<ref name="EB1922"/>
Edwin also left works to the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] in New York, to the [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]] and to the [[National Gallery]] in London.<ref name="EB1922"/>
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File:Abbey - The Queen in Hamlet.jpg|''The Queen in Hamlet'' (c. 1897), private collection
File:Abbey - The Queen in Hamlet.jpg|''The Queen in Hamlet'' (c. 1897), private collection
File:Abbey, Edwin Austin - Potpourri - 1899.jpg|''Potpourri'' (1899), private collection
File:Abbey, Edwin Austin - Potpourri - 1899.jpg|''Potpourri'' (1899), private collection
File:Pennsylvania State Capitol House Chamber.jpg|''Apotheosis of Pennsylvania'' (1908–11), House Chamber, [[Pennsylvania State Capitol]] in [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]]
File:Pennsylvania State Capitol House Chamber.jpg|''[[The Apotheosis of Pennsylvania|Apotheosis of Pennsylvania]]'' (1908–11), House Chamber, [[Pennsylvania State Capitol]] in [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]]
File:Abbey, Edwin Austin - Fairies.jpg|Fairies
File:Abbey, Edwin Austin - Fairies.jpg|Fairies
File:Edwin Austin Abbey - Within the Tent of Brutus, Enter the Ghost of Caesar, Julius Caesar, Act IV, Scene III - 1937.1148 - Yale University Art Gallery.jpg|''Within the Tent of [[Brutus]]: Enter the Ghost of [[Caesar]], [[Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar]], Act IV, Scene III''
File:Edwin Austin Abbey - Within the Tent of Brutus, Enter the Ghost of Caesar, Julius Caesar, Act IV, Scene III - 1937.1148 - Yale University Art Gallery.jpg|''Within the Tent of [[Brutus]]: Enter the Ghost of [[Caesar]], [[Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar]], Act IV, Scene III''
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* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/19980423222607/http://www.bpib.com/abbey.htm Jim Vadeboncoeur's biography of Edwin Austin Abbey]}}
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/19980423222607/http://www.bpib.com/abbey.htm Jim Vadeboncoeur's biography of Edwin Austin Abbey]}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070703072302/http://cpc.state.pa.us/main/cpcweb/history/artists/abbey.html Pennsylvania Capitol Preservation Committee's E.A. Abbey Bio]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070703072302/http://cpc.state.pa.us/main/cpcweb/history/artists/abbey.html Pennsylvania Capitol Preservation Committee's E.A. Abbey Bio]
*[http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15324coll10/id/2315/rec/1 ''Drawings by Edwin A. Abbey: illustrating the comedies of Shakespeare'']
*[https://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15324coll10/id/2315/rec/1 ''Drawings by Edwin A. Abbey: illustrating the comedies of Shakespeare'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304032857/http://collection.corcoran.org/collection/work/%E2%80%9Cwho-sylvia-what-she-all-swains-commend-her%E2%80%9D?apcat=1 ''Who Is Sylvia? What Is She, That All the Swains Commend Her?''] (1896–99; reworked 1900), [[Corcoran Gallery of Art]], Washington, D.C.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304032857/http://collection.corcoran.org/collection/work/%E2%80%9Cwho-sylvia-what-she-all-swains-commend-her%E2%80%9D?apcat=1 ''Who Is Sylvia? What Is She, That All the Swains Commend Her?''] (1896–99; reworked 1900), [[Corcoran Gallery of Art]], Washington, D.C.
*{{Wikisource-inline|list=
*{{Wikisource-inline|list=
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**{{Cite Collier's|wstitle=Abbey, Edwin Austin |short=x |noicon=x}}
**{{Cite Collier's|wstitle=Abbey, Edwin Austin |short=x |noicon=x}}
}}
}}
*[http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/edwin-austin-abbey-letters-5949 Edwin Austin Abbey letters, 1874–(ca. 1887)] from the [[Archives of American Art]]
*[https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/edwin-austin-abbey-letters-5949 Edwin Austin Abbey letters, 1874–(ca. 1887)] from the [[Archives of American Art]]
*[http://1200artists.com/artist-edwin_austin_abbey.php Edwin Austin Abbey paintings] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304124227/http://1200artists.com/artist-edwin_austin_abbey.php |date=March 4, 2016 }}
*[http://1200artists.com/artist-edwin_austin_abbey.php Edwin Austin Abbey paintings] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304124227/http://1200artists.com/artist-edwin_austin_abbey.php |date=March 4, 2016 }}
*{{Art UK bio}}
*{{Art UK bio}}
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[[Category:20th-century American male artists]]
[[Category:20th-century American male artists]]
[[Category:20th-century American illustrators]]
[[Category:20th-century American illustrators]]
[[Category:American recipients of the Legion of Honour]]

Latest revision as of 05:14, 29 April 2026

Template:Infobox artist Edwin Austin Abbey (April 1, 1852 – August 1, 1911) was an American muralist, illustrator, and painter. He flourished at the beginning of what is now referred to as the "golden age" of illustration, and is best known for his drawings and paintings of Shakespearean and Victorian subjects, as well as for his painting of Edward VII's coronation.[1][2][3] His most famous set of murals, The Quest and Achievement of the Holy Grail, adorns the Boston Central Library.

Early life and education

File:Edward Austin Abbey by John Singer Sargent.jpeg
Edwin Austin Abbey, an 1888 illustration by John Singer Sargent now housed at the Yale University Art Gallery

Abbey was born in Philadelphia, on April 1, 1852, to commercial broker William Maxwell Abbey and Margery Ann Kiple.[4][5] He studied art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia[6] under Christian Schussele.[7]

Career

File:Edwin Austin Abbey King Lear, Act I, Scene I The Metropolitan Museum of Art.jpg
King Lear, Act I, Scene I (1897–98) now housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Abbey began as an illustrator, producing numerous illustrations and sketches magazines, including Harper's Weekly (1871–1874) and Scribner's Magazine. His illustrations began appearing in Harper's Weekly before Abbey was twenty years old. He moved to New York City in 1871. His illustrations were strongly influenced by French and German black and white art:[8] Adolph Menzel and Daniel Vierge; and by English artists.[5] He illustrated several best-selling books, including Christmas Stories by Charles Dickens (1875), Selections from the Poetry of Robert Herrick (1882), and She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith (1887). Abbey also illustrated a four-volume set of The Comedies of Shakespeare for Harper & Brothers in 1896.

In 1878, he moved to England at the request of his employers to gather material for illustrations of the poems of Robert Herrick,[1] published in 1882,[9] and he settled permanently there in 1883.[10]

In 1883, he was elected to the Royal Institute of Painters in Water-Colours.[1] About this time, he was appraised critically by the American writer, S.G.W. Benjamin:

It must be taken into consideration that he is still very young; that he now for the first time visits the studios and galleries of Europe; that his advantages for a regular art education have been very moderate, and that he is practically self-educated. And then compare with these disadvantages the amount and the quality of the illustrations he has turned out, and we see represented in him genius of a high order, combining almost inexhaustible creativeness, clearness and vividness of conception, a versatile fancy, a poetic perception of beauty, a quaint, delicate humor, a wonderful grasp of whatever is weird and mysterious, and admirable chiaro-oscuro, drawing, and composition. When we note such a rare combination of qualities, we cease to be surprised at the cordial recognition awarded his genius by the best judges, both in London and Paris, even before he had left this country.[11]

He also created illustrations for Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer (1887), for a volume of Old Songs (1889), and for the comedies (and a few of the tragedies) of Shakespeare. Among his water-colours are "The Evil Eye" (1877), "The Rose in October" (1879), "An Old Song" (1886), "The Visitors" (1890), and "The Jongleur" (1892). Possibly his best known pastels are "Beatrice", "Phyllis", and "Two Noble Kinsmen".[9]

In 1890, he made his first appearance with an oil painting, "A May Day Morn", at the Royal Academy in London. He exhibited "Richard duke of Gloucester and the Lady Anne" there in 1896, and in that year was elected A.R.A., becoming a full member in 1898.[9] He received a gold medal at the Pan-American Exposition and was commissioned to paint the coronation of King Edward VII in 1901;[4] in the next year, he was chosen to paint the coronation. It was the official painting of the occasion and, hence, resides at Buckingham Palace. He did receive a knighthood,[10] although some say he refused it in 1907. Friendly with other expatriate American artists, he summered at Broadway, Worcestershire, England, where he painted and vacationed alongside John Singer Sargent at the home of Francis Davis Millet.

He completed murals for the Boston Central Library in the 1890s.[4] The frieze for the Library was titled "The Quest and Achievement of the Holy Grail". It took Abbey eleven years to complete this series of murals in his England studio. In 1897 he received the honorary degree of A.M. from Yale university.[4] In 2024, the Yale University Art Gallery completed restoration of his "Study for the Apotheosis of Pennsylvania" using a technique known as "mist lining" which repaired structural defects in the canvas.[12]

In 1904 he painted a mural for the Royal Exchange, London Reconciliation of the Skinners & Merchant Taylors' Companies by Lord Mayor Billesden, 1484.

Pennsylvania State Capitol

File:Pennsylvania State Capitol lunettes.jpg
Lunette and medallion murals (1908–11) at the Pennsylvania State Capitol Rotunda. Left to right: The Spirit of Vulcan, Science, The Spirit of Religious Liberty, Art, The Spirit of Light.

In 1908–09, Abbey began an ambitious program of murals and other artworks for the newly completed Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. These included allegorical medallion murals representing Science, Art, Justice, and Religion for the dome of the Rotunda, four large lunette murals beneath the dome, and multiple works for the House and Senate Chambers. For the Senate chamber he finished only one painting, Von Steuben Training the American Soldiers at Valley Forge,[13] and he was working on the Reading of the Declaration of Independence mural in early 1911, when his health began to fail. He was diagnosed with cancer. Studio assistant William Simmonds continued work on the mural with little supervision from Abbey, and with small contributions by John Singer Sargent.

Death

On August 1st, 1911, Abbey died in London. William Simmonds travelled from England to install the completed murals with Abbey's widow Gertrude. The remaining two rooms, which Abbey had been unable to finish, were given to Violet Oakley, who completed the commission using her own designs.

Legacy

Abbey was elected to the National Academy of Design, in 1902,[1] and The American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was honorary member of the Royal Bavarian Society and the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, and was made a chevalier of the French Legion of Honour.[9] He was a prolific illustrator, and attention to detail, including historical accuracy, influenced successive generations of illustrators.[8]

Edwin had been a keen supporter of the newly founded British School at Rome (BSR), so, in his memory, his widow donated £6000 to assist in building the artists' studio block and, in 1926, founded the Incorporated Edwin Austin Abbey Memorial Scholarships.[14] The scholarships were established to enable British and American painters to pursue their practice. Recipients of Abbey funding – Scholars and, more recently, Fellows – devote their scholarship to working in the studios at the BSR, where there has, ever since, been at least one Abbey-funded artist in residence. Previous award holders include Stephen Farthing, Chantal Joffe and Spartacus Chetwynd. The Abbey Fellowships (formerly 'Awards') were established in their present form in 1990, and the Abbey studios also host the BSR's other Fine Art residencies, such as the Derek Hill Foundation Scholarship and the Sainsbury Scholarship in Painting and Drawing. A bust of Edwin Abbey, by Sir Thomas Brock, stands in the courtyard of the BSR.[15]

Edwin also left works to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and to the National Gallery in London.[13]

Abbey is buried in the churchyard of Old St Andrew's Church in Kingsbury, London. His grave is Grade II listed.[16]

Family

In 1890, Edwin married (Mary) Gertrude Mead, the daughter of Frederick Mead, a New York merchant.[17] She encouraged her husband to secure more ambitious commissions. The marriage remained childless.[5]

After her husband's death, Gertrude was active in preserving her husband's legacy, writing about his work and giving her substantial collection and archive to Yale. In 1932, through the Edwin Austin Abbey Memorial Fund for Mural Painting, she endowed the Abbey Mural Prize to support the creation and restoration of public murals in the United States. It is awarded each year by a jury of National Academicians through the National Academy of Design.[18] She was a sponsor of the Survey of London.[19]

Works by Abbey

Bibliography

  • Dickens, C. - Christmas Stories, Harper & Brothers, 1875
  • Longfellow, H. W. - The Poetical Works, Houghton, 1880–1883
  • Herrick, R. - Selections from the Poetry of Robert Herrick, Harper & Brothers, 1882
  • Black, W. - Judith Shakespeare, Harper & Brothers, 1884
  • Boughton, G. H. - Sketching Rambles in Holland, Macmillan 1885
  • Sheridan, R. B. - Comedies, Chatto & Windus, London, 1885
  • Goldsmith, O. - She Stoops to Conquer, Harper & Brothers, 1887
  • Abbey, E. A. - Old Songs, Harper & Brothers, 1888
  • ----- The Quiet Life, Harper & Brothers, 1890
  • Shakespeare, W. - The Comedies, Harper & Brothers, 1896
  • Goldsmith, O. - The Deserted Village, Harper & Brothers, 1902
  • Stevens, L. O. - King Arthur Stories, Houghton 1908

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Abbey, Edwin Austin". Encyclopædia Britannica. I: A–Ak – Bayes (15th ed.). Chicago, Illinois: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 2010. pp. 12. ISBN 978-1-59339-837-8.
  2. ↑ Chambers Biographical Dictionary, ISBN 0-550-18022-2, page 2
  3. ↑ Saint-Guadens, Homer (May 1908). "Edwin Austin Abbey: The Career Of A Great American Artist". The World's Work: A History of Our Time. XVI: 10191–10124. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Template:BDA1906
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Template:Cite ODNB
  6. ↑ Leonard, John William; Marquis, Albert Nelson, eds. (1908), Who's who in America, 5, Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, Incorporated, p. 2.
  7. ↑ "Edwin Austin Abbey - Artists - Spellman Gallery". www.spellmangallery.com.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Souter, Nick and Tessa (2012). The Illustration Handbook: A guide to the world's greatest illustrators. Oceana. p. 16. ISBN 978-1-84573-473-2.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 File:Wikisource-logo.svg One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Abbey, Edwin Austin". Encyclopædia Britannica. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 11.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Swenson, Eleanor B. (1997). "Edwin Austin Abbey". In Johnston, Bernard (ed.). Collier's Encyclopedia. I A to Ameland (First ed.). New York, NY: P.F. Collier. p. 8.
  11. ↑ S.G.W. Benjamin, Art in America: A Critical and Historical Sketch, Harpers, 1880
  12. ↑ YaleToday (March 11, 2024). "P.S." YaleNews.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Template:EB1922
  14. ↑ "Abbey Awards website". Archived from the original on January 14, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Edwin Abbey by Thomas Brock on The Victorian Web website".
  16. ↑ Template:NHLE
  17. ↑ Morris, William (July 14, 2014). The Collected Letters of William Morris, Volume III: 1889-1892. III. Princeton University Press. p. 189 note 1. ISBN 978-1-4008-6423-2.
  18. ↑ "National Academy of Design". nationalacademy.org. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Members of the Survey Committee Pages 4-7 Survey of London Monograph 12". British History Online. Guild & School of Handicraft, London, 1926. Retrieved December 30, 2022.

Sources

Template:Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame

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