"Stream in Autumn, near Bethesda MD."

Oil on board, signed lower left and titled on the reverse

Painting: 12" x 16"
Frame: 17" x 20.75"

SAFA/10945 Provenance: The Estate of a Toms River Collector

Benson Bond Moore, painter, etcher and teacher was born in Washington, DC. He studied at the Corcoran School of Art with Messer and Brooke , and also with Weyl . He continued his studies in drawing at the Linthicum Institute under Ballenger and learned painting conservation from his father.

Active in professional societies, he was a member and officer of the Landscape Club of Washington. He was also a longtime member of the Society of Washington Artists. He exhibited with both groups from as early as 1915 and continued through the 1930's. His work was also shown at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

As an artist, he became well known and honored for his local scenes, many of which are in major public collections. His works are held by the National Museum of American Art; Historical Society of Washington, DC; Library of Congress; The White House; Bibliothèque National de Paris; Cosmos Club; National Museum of American History; the Houston Museum of Fine Art and the Los Angeles Museum of Art. Over his life, he was honored with numerous awards for his work.

Sources:
McMahan, Virgil. "The Artists of Washington, D.C. 1796-1996"
Consentino, Andrew and Glassie, Henry. "The Capital Image, Painters in Washington, 1800-1915"
Strass, Sephanie, "A Seasonal View - The Landscapes of Benson Bond Moore"

"October on Surgarloaf Mountain, MD"

Oil on board, signed and dated l.l. , and titled and dated "1958" on the reverse

Provenance: Richard Brodnax Maclin
The Estate of a Toms River Collector

Exhibited: The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, Hagerstowm MD: A Seasonal View - The Landscapes of Benson Bond Moore, September 1 - October 27, 1996

Painting: 18" x 14"
Frame: 25.5" x 21.5"

** For other painting by artists from Maryland, Virginia or Washington DC, click on the "Regional Artists" button on our homepage

Benson Bond Moore, painter, etcher and teacher was born in Washington, DC. He studied at the Corcoran School of Art with Messer and Brooke , and also with Weyl . He continued his studies in drawing at the Linthicum Institute under Ballenger and learned painting conservation from his father.

Active in professional societies, he was a member and officer of the Landscape Club of Washington. He was also a longtime member of the Society of Washington Artists. He exhibited with both groups from as early as 1915 and continued through the 1930's. His work was also shown at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

As an artist, he became well known and honored for his local scenes, many of which are in major public collections. His works are held by the National Museum of American Art; Historical Society of Washington, DC; Library of Congress; The White House; Bibliothèque National de Paris; Cosmos Club; National Museum of American History; the Houston Museum of Fine Art and the Los Angeles Museum of Art. Over his life, he was honored with numerous awards for his work.

Sources:
McMahan, Virgil. "The Artists of Washington, D.C. 1796-1996"
Consentino, Andrew and Glassie, Henry. "The Capital Image, Painters in Washington, 1800-1915"
Strass, Sephanie, "A Seasonal View - The Landscapes of Benson Bond Moore"

"A Maryland Brook in Autumn"

Oil on Masonite, signed l.r. and titled on the reverse.

Painting: 18" x 14"
Frame:24.5" x 21"

** For other painting by artists from Maryland, Virginia or Washington DC, click on the "Regional Artists" button on our homepage

Provenance: The Estate of a Toms River Collector

Benson Bond Moore, painter, etcher and teacher was born in Washington, DC. He studied at the Corcoran School of Art with Messer and Brooke , and also with Weyl . He continued his studies in drawing at the Linthicum Institute under Ballenger and learned painting conservation from his father.

Active in professional societies, he was a member and officer of the Landscape Club of Washington. He was also a longtime member of the Society of Washington Artists. He exhibited with both groups from as early as 1915 and continued through the 1930's. His work was also shown at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

As an artist, he became well known and honored for his local scenes, many of which are in major public collections. His works are held by the National Museum of American Art; Historical Society of Washington, DC; Library of Congress; The White House; Bibliothèque National de Paris; Cosmos Club; National Museum of American History; the Houston Museum of Fine Art and the Los Angeles Museum of Art. Over his life, he was honored with numerous awards for his work.

Sources:
McMahan, Virgil. "The Artists of Washington, D.C. 1796-1996"
Consentino, Andrew and Glassie, Henry. "The Capital Image, Painters in Washington, 1800-1915"
Strass, Sephanie, "A Seasonal View - The Landscapes of Benson Bond Moore"

"Early Autumn Near Bedford PA."

Oil-on Board, signed, and titled on the reverse

Exhibited: The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, Hagerstowm MD: A Seasonal View - The Landscapes of Benson Bond Moore, September 1 - October 27, 1996

Provenance: The Estate of a Toms River Collector

Painting: 14" x 18"
Frame: 18.25" x 22.5"

** For other painting by artists from Maryland, Virginia or Washington DC, click on the "Regional Artists" button on our homepage

Benson Bond Moore, painter, etcher and teacher was born in Washington, DC. He studied at the Corcoran School of Art with Messer and Brooke , and also with Weyl . He continued his studies in drawing at the Linthicum Institute under Ballenger and learned painting conservation from his father.

Active in professional societies, he was a member and officer of the Landscape Club of Washington. He was also a longtime member of the Society of Washington Artists. He exhibited with both groups from as early as 1915 and continued through the 1930's. His work was also shown at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

As an artist, he became well known and honored for his local scenes, many of which are in major public collections. His works are held by the National Museum of American Art; Historical Society of Washington, DC; Library of Congress; The White House; Bibliothèque National de Paris; Cosmos Club; National Museum of American History; the Houston Museum of Fine Art and the Los Angeles Museum of Art. Over his life, he was honored with numerous awards for his work.

Sources:
McMahan, Virgil. "The Artists of Washington, D.C. 1796-1996"
Consentino, Andrew and Glassie, Henry. "The Capital Image, Painters in Washington, 1800-1915"

The Valley

Oil-on-canvas, signed lower right and dated 1916

Exhibited: The Art Institute of Chicago, "Pictures of Children Painted in South America and Southern California by Adam Emory Albright, 1920, #29”

Painting: 24” x 30”
Frame: 30 ½” x 36 ½”

Albright, born in Wisconsin, was, according to William Gerdts (Art Across America, Vol. 2), “The finest Paris trained figure painter to emerge immediately before the World’s Columbian Exposition.” He was one of the first students at the newly established Art Institute of Chicago from 1881-1883. From 1883-1886, he studied with Thomas Eakins at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. After some training in Munich with fellow Wisconsin artist, Carl Marr, Albright studied in Paris with Benjamin Constant.

In 1888, Albright established his studio in Chicago and became president of the Chicago Watercolor Club as well as a member of the Chicago Academy of Design.

Early in his career, he chose to focus on paintings of children for which he became famous. At first specializing in street urchins and rustic children in outdoor settings, his work became more colorful and sun-filled following his greater exposure to impressionism at the Columbian Exposition.

The birth of Albright’s twin sons in 1897 gave him new models and his subsequent work featured the growing boys posed in rural surroundings. From 1908, many of his finest works were painted during summers at the art colony in Brown County, Indiana.

Albright’s popularity is reflected in his numerous exhibitions and in the extensive contemporary literature about him. Again according to Gerdts, “No other Chicago artist’s work was so widely exhibited at the Art Institute . . .”

Sailing Vessels at Sunrise

Oil-on-panel, signed lower right

Painting: 20” x 16”
Frame: 25” x 21”

Born in Massachusetts, Hallett studied in Antwerp and Paris. He is best known for his paintings of ships, notable marine events, and seascapes, many along Boston Harbor. He also painted in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and on Mount Desert Island in Maine.  Hallett worked outdoors, sketching with pencil, making color notes, and translated his sketches into oils in his studio.  He and his wife Florence, also an artist, spent eighteen months studying art in Europe. The Halletts shared a studio at Fenway Studios from1907-1918. Hallett exhibited regularly at the Boston Art Club between 1877 and 1918. He was a member of the Boston Society of Watercolor Painters, as well as the Boston Art Club, and exhibited at the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association, the Eastman Chase Gallery (Boston), Poland Spring Art Exhibitions, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

Devonshire Cottage by Moonlight

Oil-on-canvas, signed lower left

Painting: 25” x 30”
Frame: 29” x 33 ¾”

Platt was active in New York State and Connecticut. She is known for her landscapes, portraits and interiors. She studied at the Art Students’ League (NYC) and Delecluse Academy, Paris. Platt also studied with Ben Foster and Henry B. Snell. She exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art (1900-1901), Boston Art Club, Society of Independent Artists (1917) and many others. Additionally she was a member of the New York Woman’s Art Club, Pen & Brush Club, National Arts Club and the New York Water Color Club.

Platt travelled to Europe, painting scenes both in Devon and Normandy, often depicting charming interiors showing the life of the peasants.

Bayou Oil-on-canvas, signed lower left

Provenance: Senator John B. Henderson (1826-1913)

Painting: 23” x 37”
Frame: 27” x 41”

Born 1846 in Upperville, Lucien Whiting Powell served with the Virginia cavalry during the Civil War. After attending the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Powell moved on to the London School of Art by 1875 where he was strongly influenced by the atmospheric painting style and romantic subject matter of J.M.W. Turner.

Powell eventually settled in Washington D.C. where he had a series of different studios, the most noted one at Henderson’s “Castle” on 16th Street owned by his formidable patron, Mrs. John B. Henderson. Perhaps with a certain proprietary attitude towards the artist, Mrs. Henderson owned some 200 of his watercolors and works on canvas and funded his tour of the Middle East in 1910.

An avid traveler, Powell also toured the American West in 1901. His best known works are landscapes of the Grand Canyon as well as land- and seascapes of Venice. In Street Scene in Florence, Italy, a casual gathering of women proffer goods under cloth and wooden awnings in an open square. Powell’s warm, earthy palate and loose, painterly rendering reflect his admiration of Turner.

Though he ventured far afield, Powell achieved considerable recognition in the District; his works were collected by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson. He also exhibited regularly at the Corcoran and was a member of the Society of Washington Artists. Powell’s work is currently represented in the collections of American University, Georgetown University, the U.S. State Department and the Historical Society of Washington, D.C

Sources:

Falk, Peter, ed. Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975
McMahan, Virgil. The Artists of Washington, D.C. 1796-1996** For other paintings by artists from Maryland, Virginia or Washington DC, type “local” into the search box.

** For other paintings by artists from Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC or North Carolina, click on the “Regional Artists” button on our Homepage.

"Evening on the Marsh"

Oil on Academy Board, signed and dated "(18)88", dated "Dec. 27,1888" on the reverse and titled by Benson B. Moore also on the reverse.

Provenance: The Washington area painter Benson B. Moore. Moore studied with Weyl at the Corcoran in Washington D.C.

Painting: 11 x 16 in.
Frame: 16 x 21 in.

**Please Note: This item is not currently on view in our gallery. Please call at least 48 hours in advance if you wish to see it.

** For other paintings by artists from Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC or North Carolina, click on the “Regional Artists” button on our Homepage.

Max Weyl was born Dec. 1, 1837, in Germany and immigrated with his family to Williamsport, PA in 1853. At this time and after his arrival in Washington, DC in 1861, Weyl earned his living as an itinerant watch repairman. At the relatively young age of 24, he had saved enough money to open his own jewelry shop at Third Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

He was self-taught as an artist but was encouraged in the field by Washington artist Charles Lanman, who recognized his potential artistic talent. In 1870, Weyl sold his first painting to Samuel H. Kauffman, publisher of the Star . Kauffman became a regular patron of Weyl.

By 1878, he had achieved sufficient success to list himself as an artist in the city directory and had devoted himself full-time to his art. A year abroad in 1879-80, visiting and studying in Paris, Vienna, Munich and Venice attached him to the Barbizon style and gave him his nickname of the "American Daubigny". His first exhibition and sale of landscapes was in 1879. Eventually, his landscapes of the Potomac River and Rock Creek Park won him much recognition and acclaim.

During the years of 1882-92, he shared a studio with Richard Norris Brooke in Vernon Row at 10th and Pennsylvania, moving to the "Barbizon Studio" building, on 17th and Pennsylvania, from 1892-1903.

Weyl had annual exhibitions and sales at V.G. Fischer Galleries. There was a retrospective at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1907. Weyl died July 6, 1914, in Washington, DC. Today his work can be seen in such varied locations of the Corcoran Gallery, the Cosmos Club in Washington, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Virginia Military Academy.

Sources:
Consentino, Andrew and Glassie, Henry. "The Capital Image, Painters in Washington, 1800-1915"
Falk, Peter, ed. "Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975"
McMahan, Virgil. "The Artists of Washington, D.C. 1796-1996"

** For other paintings by artists from Maryland, Virginia or Washington DC, type “local” into the search box.

Rock Creek Park

Oil-on-canvas, signed lower left.

Painting: 16” x 20”
Frame: 23” x 26 ½”

August Herman Olson Rolle, painter, printmaker and graphic artist, dabbled in many activities before turning his focus to art. Born in Sibley County, MN, in 1875, his first path toward adulthood led him to Red Wing Seminary. Service in the Spanish-American War, eventually lead him to Washington, DC where he became a forestry expert for the Census Bureau.
Once in Washington, Rolle studied at the Corcoran School of Art under Messer, Brooke and Moser beginning in 1905. His specialties were landscapes and seascapes in oil and watercolor, but he also executed dryprints, woodblock prints, monotypes and etchings.
Following the tradition of his day, Rolle was active in many art societies. In addition to helping found the Landscape Club of Washington in 1915, he served as its president for many years. That was just one among a number of affiliations which also included the Sculptors and Gravers Society of Washington, the American Federation of Arts, and the Arts Club of Washington.
Rolle also exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the old National Gallery, the Maryland Institute and at the Greater Washington Independent Exhibition of 1935. He had a joint exhibition of prints with fellow artist Benson B. Moore at Venable's Gallery in 1924.
Rolle died in Washington, DC in 1941. Today, his work is represented at the Corcoran Gallery, the Historical Society of Washington, DC, and the Arts Club of Washington. A retrospective of his work was held at the Corcoran's 1982 "Washington on the Potomac" and at the National Museum of American Art's 1984 show "The Capitol Image."

Sources:
Consentino, Andrew and Glassie, Henry. "The Capital Image, Painters in Washington, 1800-1915"
Falk, Peter, ed. "Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975"
McMahan, Virgil. "The Artists of Washington, D.C. 1796-1996"

** For other paintings by artists from Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC or North Carolina, click on the “Regional Artists” button on our Homepage.

River Birches

Oil on Canvas, Signed lower right and titled and signed on reverse

Painting: 20" x 24"
Frame: 24" x 28"

** For other paintings by artists from Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC or North Carolina, click on the “Regional Artists” button on our Homepage.

August Herman Olson Rolle, painter, printmaker and graphic artist, dabbled in many activities before turning his focus to art. Born in Sibley County, MN, in 1875, his first path toward adulthood led him to Red Wing Seminary. Service in the Spanish-American War, eventually lead him to Washington, DC where he became a forestry expert for the Census Bureau.

Once in Washington, Rolle studied at the Corcoran School of Art under Messer, Brooke and Moser beginning in 1905. His specialties were landscapes and seascapes in oil and watercolor, but he also executed dryprints, woodblock prints, monotypes and etchings.

Following the tradition of his day, Rolle was active in many art societies. In addition to helping found the Landscape Club of Washington in 1915, he served as its president for many years. That was just one among a number of affiliations which also included the Sculptors and Gravers Society of Washington, the American Federation of Arts, and the Arts Club of Washington.

Rolle also exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the old National Gallery, the Maryland Institute and at the Greater Washington Independent Exhibition of 1935. He had a joint exhibition of prints with fellow artist Benson B. Moore at Venable's Gallery in 1924.

Rolle died in Washington, DC in 1941. Today, his work is represented at the Corcoran Gallery, the Historical Society of Washington, DC, and the Arts Club of Washington. A retrospective of his work was held at the Corcoran's 1982 "Washington on the Potomac" and at the National Museum of American Art's 1984 show "The Capitol Image."

Sources:
Consentino, Andrew and Glassie, Henry. "The Capital Image, Painters in Washington, 1800-1915"
Falk, Peter, ed. "Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975"
McMahan, Virgil. "The Artists of Washington, D.C. 1796-1996"

Macbeth

Oil on artist board

Provenance: Sycamore Farm, Portsmouth, VA (Estate of Robert Vick and Charles Sibley)

Note: Listed in "The National Academy of Design Exhibition Record 1861-1900" page 249, number 482.

Painting Size: 6 ½” x 6 ½”
Frame Size: 10” x 10”

Born in Ireland, Duggan was brought to the United States as a young child, probably around 1810. He was a student at the National Academy of Design from approximately 1842-1849. He was a frequent exhibitor at the National Academy as well as at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art.

Duggan was known to have exhibited works at the Academy (1844-51) which were religious and historical in nature although he was admired by his contemporaries as a portraitist in charcoal and crayon - undoubtedly the source of his livelihood. Later works exhibited (1855-56) were portraits only. He also sculpted several medals for distribution by the American Art-Union. In the late 1840’s Duggan was a professor of drawing at the Free Academy of New York (later the City College of New York).

Duggan suffered from tuberculosis and retired in 1856 at which time he went to live in London with relatives. In the spring of 1861 he went to Paris for what was intended to be an extended stay but was there only until October when he succumbed to his illness.

Sources:
Falk, Peter, ed. Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975
Groce & Wallace, Dictionary of Artists in America, 1564-1860
Mallett, Daniel Trowbridge. Index of Artists

Misty Morning at Windsor Castle

Oil-on-canvas, signed lower left

Painting Size: 18.5”” x 29.5”
Frame Size: 31” x 42”

**Please Note: This item is not currently on view in our gallery. Please call at least 48 hours in advance if you wish to see it.

Tyler is known to have lived and worked in Troy, NY during the 1850‘s and 60‘s where, aside from Abel Buell Moore, he was Troy’s best known artist. According to William Gerdts “Troy was a prosperous industrial and commercial city. It was also a major center of education in the 19th century. Tyler had gone to Troy to work for the carriage company of Eaton and Gilbert. In 1858 Tyler opened his own painting studio (and he) painted the local landscape but was more drawn to the sea. He specialized in scenes off the coast of Long Island and Massachusetts.” It is apparent from the record of his works that he traveled extensively in Europe painting scenes in Venice and scenes in England such as this luminist view of Windsor Castle. Tyler also painted the landscapes of the White Mountains (NH) and the Keene Valley in the Adirondacks of New York.

Tyler exhibited at the National Academy of Design (1862-1867 and 1878) and his work “Breezy Day Off Boston Light” is held by the Troy Public Library.

Sources:
Benezit, E. "Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs"
Creps, Bob, "Biographical Encyclopedia of American Painters, Sculptors &Engravers of the U.S."
Falk, Peter, ed. "Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975"
Gerdts, William H., "Art Across America, Two Centuries of Regional Painting"

Moonlight on the Chesapeake

Oil on canvas, signed lower right

Painting size: 12” x 10”

Frame size: 15.5” x 13.5”

** For other paintings by artists from Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC or North Carolina, click on the “Regional Artists” button on our Homepage.

Watson was born in Baltimore, MD. He studied with A. Castaigne, E.S. Whiteman and D. Woodward. A founding member of the Baltimore Charcoal Club, he was also a member of the Baltimore Watercolor Club. Watson exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Annual Exhibition in 1906. He is noted for his Tonalist marine paintings where the softly dawnlit skies blend with the pale ocean waters, often with a bare outline of a sailboat.

Source:
Falk, Peter, ed. Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975

From the Estate of Antoinette Hughes, Catonsville, MD

Autumn in the Blue Ridge Mountains (near Emmittsburg, PA[sic]) 1955

Oil on board, signed lower left and dated “1955”. Titled on the reverse

Painting Size: 15.5” x 19.5”
Frame Size: 23.5” x 27.5”

** For other painting by artists from Maryland, Virginia or Washington DC, click on the "Regional Artists" button on our homepage

Benson Bond Moore, painter, etcher and teacher was born in Washington, DC. He studied at the Corcoran School of Art with Messer and Brooke , and also with Weyl . He continued his studies in drawing at the Linthicum Institute under Ballenger and learned painting conservation from his father.

Active in professional societies, he was a member and officer of the Landscape Club of Washington. He was also a longtime member of the Society of Washington Artists. He exhibited with both groups from as early as 1915 and continued through the 1930's. His work was also shown at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

As an artist, he became well known and honored for his local scenes, many of which are in major public collections. His works are held by the National Museum of American Art; Historical Society of Washington, DC; Library of Congress; The White House; Bibliothèque National de Paris; Cosmos Club; National Museum of American History and the Los Angeles Museum of Art. Over his life, he was honored with numerous awards for his work.

Sources: Consentino, Andrew and Glassie, Henry, The Capital Image, Painters in Washington, 1800-1915
McMahan, Virgil, The Artists of Washington, D.C. 1796-1996

Carib Indians Around a Jungle Campfire, with a Piton in the Background

Oil on canvas, signed indistinctly on the stretcher. Mid 19th century carved wood, compo and gilt frame

Painting Size: 9.25” x 12”
Frame Size: 13.5” x 16.5”

Bethesda

Oil on canvas, signed lower left and titled on the reverse.

Painting size: 20” x 24” Frame size: 25.5” x 29”

** Please Note - This painting came directly from the Estate of Mr. O’Brien. For other examples, type “O’Brien” into the search box.

** For other paintings by artists from Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC or North Carolina, click on the “Regional Artists” button on our Homepage.

Born in Newtonville, Massachusetts, O’Brien exhibited a love of drawing and painting from a very early age. As a high school student, he took all possible elective courses in art and technical drawing. He supplemented this study with evening courses at M.I.T. Following his move to Washington, DC as a young man, he enrolled in the Washington Workshop of the Arts. WWA, like the Art Students League in New York City, was a school in which all the classes were taught by a rotating roster of professional artists.

During WW II, his technical artistic training served his country well when he was put to work as a map maker. In the final year of the war, O’Brien married. On his honeymoon in New York City, he found time to paint the rooftop view from his hotel room window. This initiated a lifelong pursuit of city painting (his family was inclined to call it an obsession).

Starting with the founding of Federal Graphics, a commercial art firm he launched with a partner in 1947, he pursued a commercial career for the majority of his life. However, he always considered painting his “real” work, and his dedication to this vocation was apparent in a myriad of ways. He helped to found the Montgomery County Art Association and held memberships in the Arts Council of Montgomery County and American Art League.

Throughout his life, he exhibited widely, both as an individual and in group shows. The Arts Club of Washington, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Montgomery College, and the Rehoboth Art League were a few among the many venues at which his works were shown. In addition, he exhibited in several private galleries.

During the course of his painting, O’Brien noticed that the paints on his palette sometimes mixed into designs as interesting as those more deliberately created. From this observation arose the text, Design By Accident, first published in 1968. The book became widely used by art teachers following very favorably reviews by newspapers and magazines. It was even reviewed by Scientific American from a technological-aesthetic.

A draftsman, illustrator, writer and most importantly painter, O’Brien was fortunate to have his work recognised and appreciated during his life. He won awards from The Montgomery County Art Association, Rehoboth Art League and American Art League. Even art critics praised his work with the most succinct calling his paintings, “familiar scenes, fresher and lighter than life”. (Florence Berryman of The Washington Star)

O’Brien believed that the “creative urge” was something all children have. However, as adults, that impulse falls victim to ever growing demands and responsibilities. He maintained that artists are able to keep alive the childlike ability to see beauty and mystery in commonplace things.

Thanks to his sense of wonder, he left us deeply in his debt. His paintings remind us that every day that Washington, DC is full of inspiring sights that fall outside of the traditional “glamour” views depicted by most artists.

Clearing Fog

Signed and dated: 1915

Ptg: 20"x 28"
New Frame: 28"x 34"

Born in Natick, Massachusetts, Charles Francis Browne was primarily active in Illinois as a landscape painter and teacher, and was one of the original members of the Eagle's Nest Art Colony in Oregon, Illinois. He was married to the sister of sculptor Lorado Taft.

Browne played an active role in California in 1915 when he was the superintendent of the United States section of the Panama Pacific Exposition where he won an award for painting.

He had traveled West previous to that time when, in the summer of 1895, he and sculptor Hermon Atkins MacNeil and writer Hamlin Garland took a tour of Indian reservation in Arizona and New Mexico.

Their stops included the Navajo Reservation, the Hopis at Walpi and Zuni villages, and this trip provided Browne with much material for subsequent paintings.

In 1910, Browne was Assistant Art Commissioner in South America to Buenos Aires and Santiago.

He received his art training at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston from 1882-84 and from Thomas Eakins at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. In Paris, from 1887-90, he studied with Jean Leon Gerome at the Academie Julian.

He became an instructor at the Art Institute of Chicago and shared a studio with George Schreiber. He was founder and editor of "Brush and Pencil" Club, president of the Chicago Society of Artists, and a member and director of the Western Society of Artists. At the Eagle's Nest Art Colony in Oregon, Illinois in the summer of 1919, he was stricken with paralysis. He died the following March at his mother's home in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Sources:

Doris Dawdy, Artists of the American West
Peter Falk, Who Was Who in American Art
Eda Hughes, Artists in California, 1786-1940