Edwin Austin Abbey [1852-1911]
[Born in April 1, 1852 in Philadelphia, PA – died August 1, 1911 in London, England]

SAL record control number: 1150

Record level: Person

Record type: Member

Biography:

‘Edwin Abbey, born April 1, 1852 in Philadelphia, was a self-taught illustrator and muralist. He gained hands-on experience by working at a wood engraver’s shop, emerging as an artist during the “Golden Age if Illustration” in the last half of the nineteenth century. Abbey studied briefly at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. In 1872 he went to work for Harper’s Publishing and then transferred to England a few years later. It was here that he would remain, illustrating poems and literature with highly precise detail. In 1902 Abbey was appointed official court painter of coronation in Westminster Abbey.

Abbey’s early work was rooted in naturalism but eventually became more stylized, often depicting flattened figures in a frieze-like arrangement, similar to techniques of Art Nouveau. His oil paintings generally favored historical England. Abbey’s murals can be seen at the Public Library of Boston, as well as Pennsylvania and Washington. The permanent collection is held in New Haven Connecticut.’

Salmagundi Club information

Member type: Honorary member
Member begin date: 1879
Member end date: 1918

Positions / committees:

Works:

Edwin Austin Abbey [1852-1911] : Bracelet to Julia, 1881.

Edwin Austin Abbey [1852-1911] : Grandfather, 1881.

Edwin Austin Abbey [1852-1911] : Upon Sapho [sic], 1881.

Edwin Austin Abbey [1852-1911] : Eternite, 1881.

Edwin Austin Abbey [1852-1911] : The arrest, 1879.

Awards:

Exhibitions / events:

National Academy of Design, New York, NY, “Fourth annual black and white exhibition”, December 1-21, 1881.

Kurtz Art Gallery, Number 6, East 23rd Street, New York, NY, “First annual exhibition of original black and white drawings, sketches, etchings & c.“, February 12-28, 1879.

Photographs:

Related documents:

New York Times, New York, NY, “Edwin A. Abbey, painter, dies at 59 [obituary]”, August 2, 1911, not illustrated.

SCA notes:

Document information

Document permalink:
http://salmagundi.designlifenetwork.com/member/?p=1150

Digital-born document number:
SAL.2018.1150

Digital document provenance:
Original compiled and researched document by the Salmagundi Club Archives, New York, NY.

Document license:
Creative Commons Corporation  shareAlike (sa) license.  Some of the information contained within this document may hold further publication restrictions depending on final use.  It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine.

Image license:
The author of this artwork died more than 70 years ago. According to U.S. Copyright Law, copyright expires 70 years after the author’s death. In other countries, legislation may differ.

Record birth date:
April 18, 2018

Last updated: April 19, 2018 at 23:29 pm