Edwin M. Gardner (1845–1935) was an American Confederate veteran and painter.

Early life

Edwin M. Gardner was born on October 12, 1845 in

Giles County, Tennessee Giles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,346. Its county seat is Pulaski. History Giles County is named after William Branch Giles, a Senator from Virginia who sponsored the ...

. He grew up in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

of 1861–1865, he served in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

under General

Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was a prominent Confederate Army general during the American Civil War and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan from 1867 to 1869. Before the war, Forrest amassed substantial wealt ...

. Gardner took painting lessons 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 ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and the National Academy Museum and School in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Career

Gardner started his career as an art teacher at a female academy in Aberdeen, Mississippi, followed by

Mary Sharp College Mary Sharp College (1851–1896), first known as the Tennessee and Alabama Female Institute, was a Women's Colleges in the Southern United States, women's college, located in Winchester, Tennessee. It was named after the Abolitionism in the United ...

, a female academy in Winchester, Tennessee. He moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, where he joined the Nashville Art Association and taught at the

Watkins Institute Watkins College of Art at Belmont University is an art and design college of Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. It is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and offers Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degr ...

, where he had a studio. One of his students,

Cornelius Hankins Cornelius Hankins (1863-1946) was an American painter. He painted agrarian landscapes of Tennessee and portraits of Confederate States Army, Confederate veterans and politicians. Early life Cornelius Hankins was born on July 12, 1863, in Itawamb ...

, became a prominent painter in the South. Gardner did a portrait of Sarah Childress Polk. He also painted blacks.

Death

Gardner died on October 28, 1935 in Nashville, Tennessee. He was buried at the Mount Olivet Cemetery.

References

1845 births 1935 deaths People from Giles County, Tennessee People from Nashville, Tennessee Confederate States Army soldiers Painters from Tennessee {{Tennessee-stub