Aaron Allan Edson (1846–1888) was a Canadian landscape painter from Québec.

Biography

At the age of nine, his family settled in Stanbridge, where his father ran a hotel. Nearby was a bank owned by John Carpenter Baker, a patron of the arts who helped start the careers of Edson and another local painter, Wyatt Eaton, by helping to pay for art lessons and buying their works."Allan Aaron Edson"
@ the ''

Dictionary of Canadian Biography The ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'' (''DCB''; french: Dictionnaire biographique du Canada) is a dictionary of biographical entries for individuals who have contributed to the history of Canada. The ''DCB'', which was initiated in 1959, is a ...

'' online In addition to his art studies, Edson received a standard commercial education. In 1861 he moved to Montréal, where he worked as the bookkeeper for a frame maker and art dealer named Augustus Pell, who introduced him to local artists. Around 1863, he took lessons from Robert Scott Duncanson, an American painter who lived there during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. This was followed by two years in London, England for further studies. Upon his return, he became a founding members of the Society of Canadian Artists in 1867, the earliest Canadian professional body of artists, and participated in their first exhibition in 1868. He was also one of the original members of the

Ontario Society of Artists The Ontario Society of Artists (OSA) was founded in 1872. It is Canada's oldest continuously operating professional art society. When it was founded at the home of John Arthur Fraser, seven artists were present. Besides Fraser himself, Marmaduke M ...

, founded in 1872, and the

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Queen Victoria on 16 July 1880. The Governor General ...

, established in 1880 with Royal patronage. At one of their first exhibitions, some of his works were purchased by

Princess Louise Princess Louise may refer to: ;People: * Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, 1848–1939, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom * Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife, 1867–1931, the ...

for herself and her mother,

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

. He exhibited regularly throughout Canada. He also presented his works at the

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...

in London, the

Paris Salon The Salon (french: Salon), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art ...

and two world's fairs; the

Centennial Exposition The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair to be held in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the ...

in Philadelphia and the Exposition Universelle in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

. In the early 1880s, he went to live in France, spending most of his time in

Cernay-la-Ville Cernay-la-Ville () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. See also * Vaux-de-Cernay Abbey * Communes of the Yvelines department An intentional community is a voluntary residential commu ...

, where he studied with

Léon Germain Pelouse Léon Germain Pelouse (1 October 1838 – 31 July 1891) was a self-taught French painter born in Pierrelaye (Val-d'Oise, France). At sixteen, he began working as a traveling salesman. He began painting when he was twenty, as he was serving in ...

.Brief biography
in

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available fo ...

Joyce Zemans Joyce Zemans D.F.A. D.Litt. (born April 21, 1940) is a Canadian art historian, curator, cultural policy specialist and academic. She is known as the first woman to serve as York University`s Dean of Fine Arts and as director of the Canada Counc ...

. From 1886 to 1887, he was in London, then returned to Canada, settling in Sutton, Québec. The following year, he died of complications from pneumonia, which he caught while on an expedition to paint winter scenes.Brief biography
@ the Galerie Walter Klinkhoff

Selected paintings

File:Allan Edson - The Coming Storm, Lake Memphremagog (1880).jpg, The Coming Storm at

Lake Memphremagog Lake Memphremagog (; french: Lac Memphrémagog) is a fresh water glacial lake located between Newport, Vermont, United States and Magog, Quebec, Canada. The lake spans both Quebec and Vermont, but is mostly in Quebec. Most of the watershed that ...

File:Allan Edson - Bûcherons sur la rivière Saint-Maurice (1868).jpg, Lumberjacks on the

Saint-Maurice River The Saint-Maurice River (french: Rivière Saint-Maurice; Atikamekw: ''Tapiskwan sipi'') flows north to south in central Quebec from Gouin Reservoir to empty into the Saint Lawrence River at Trois-Rivières, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. F ...

File:Allan Edson - Quebec Winter (18xx).jpg, Québec Winter File:Allan Edson - Rivière aux brochets (1864).jpg, The Pike River

References

External links

Arcadja Auctions: More works by Edson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edson, Allan 1846 births 1888 deaths Canadian landscape painters Artists from Quebec People from Estrie Anglophone Quebec people 19th-century Canadian painters Canadian male painters 19th-century Canadian male artists Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts

Biography

Selected paintings

References

Further reading

External links