Edwin Romanzo Elmer (1850–1923) was an American portrait, genre and still life

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

. Known for his attention to detail, he was also an inventor of a machine for braiding horsewhips. Spending most of his life in

Ashfield, Massachusetts Ashfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,695 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Ashfield was first settled in 1743 and was offi ...

, Elmer is best known for his painting ''Mourning Picture''. This 1890 family portrait depicts the artist, his wife, and their daughter Effie who had died shortly before it was painted. The painting is noted for its intricate detail and the contrast between the mourning family, who sit in relative darkness, and the dead daughter, who is bathed in sunlight. It was first displayed in a local post office in 1890, then disappeared until the 1950s, when a niece of the artist showed it to the director of the Smith Museum. It was then that Elmer's talent was first recognized and his paintings put on display. The poet

Adrienne Rich Adrienne Cecile Rich ( ; May 16, 1929 – March 27, 2012) was an American poet, essayist and feminist. She was called "one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century", and was credited with bringing "th ...

has written a poem about ''Mourning Picture'' from the dead daughter's point of view. The picture now hangs in the

Smith College Museum of Art The Smith College Museum of Art (abbreviated SCMA), is an art museum in Northampton, Massachusetts connected with Smith College. The museum is known for its compilation of American and European art of the 19th and 20th centuries, including works by ...

–

Northampton, Massachusetts The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence and Leeds) was 29,571. Northampton is known as an acade ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elmer, Edwin Romanzo 19th-century American painters American male painters 20th-century American painters American portrait painters 1850 births 1923 deaths People from Ashfield, Massachusetts Painters from Massachusetts 19th-century American male artists 20th-century American male artists