Lot 5172
George Warton Edwards (American, 1859-1950), Pleasant Thoughts
Lot Details & Additional Photographs
Sight size 23 3/4 x 17 1/2 in.; Frame dimensions 30 1/2 x 24 1/2 in.
Private Collection, Roanoke, Virginia
George Wharton Edwards was an American painter, illustrator, and author born in Fair Haven, Connecticut, and later active in Paris, New York City, Plainfield, New Jersey, and Greenwich, Connecticut, where he died. Educated in Antwerp and Paris from 1881 to 1884, he studied under Eugène Feyen and developed a distinctive Impressionist style, becoming especially known for his marine paintings depicting fishermen, lobstermen, and boats along the Monhegan Island shoreline in Maine. By 1890, he was painting regularly on Monhegan, establishing a reputation for atmospheric coastal scenes and sensitive depictions of maritime life.
In addition to his work as a painter, Edwards enjoyed a distinguished career as an illustrator, author, and art administrator. He served as Art Director of Collier’s magazine from 1898 to 1903 and later managed the Art Department of the American Bank Note Company from 1904 to 1912. A prolific writer, he authored numerous books on American history, European architecture, and customs, including Vanished Halls and Cathedrals of France, Vanished Towers and Chimes of Flanders, and Holland of Today, while also illustrating literary and travel publications. His achievements earned international recognition, including honors from France, Belgium, Spain, and Italy, as well as election as an Associate of the National Academy. Today, his work is represented in major museum collections including the Bruce Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the High Museum of Art, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where his mural Henrik Hudson remains on view.
Even toning to the sheet, not examined outside the frame.
