Henry Lavender Adolphus Culmer, sometimes referred to as Harry Culmer or Henry L. A. Culmer (25 March 1854,

Davington Davington is a suburb of Faversham in Kent, England. Davington Priory is a local government ward within the Faversham Town Council and Swale Borough Council areas. Until the civic boundary changes were brought into effect in 2004, the electora ...

, England - 10 February 1914, Salt Lake City) was a painter/scientist, illustrator, and educator.

Biography

He was born in England. During his younger days there, he worked as an errand boy in a print shop in London. His family joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and in 1868, immigrated to the United States. Although he was mostly a self-taught artist, he attended the University of Utah (previously known as the University of Deseret) in the 1870s and studied with landscape painters

Reuben Kirkham Reuben John Kirkham (13 October 1845, Spalding, Lincolnshire - 17 April 1886, Logan, Utah)Listing

and
Alfred Lambourne Alfred Lambourne (February 2, 1850 – June 6, 1926) is an English-born American artist and author. In the 1860s, he and his family moved to the American West with the Mormon pioneers. He is best remembered for his paintings, but he also wrote ...
. During this same time, he also met and was influenced by Thomas Moran. He painted landscapes and was best known for his panoramic views of the mountains and deserts. He was the first artist to explore and depict the natural bridges in southern Utah as well as the interior of Alaska.Biography
@ the
Marriott Library The J. Willard Marriott Library is the main academic library of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. The university library has had multiple homes since the first University of Utah librarian was appointed in 1850. The current building ...
He also painted
Monument Valley Monument Valley ( nv, Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii, , meaning ''valley of the rocks'') is a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of sandstone buttes, the largest reaching above the valley floor. It is located on the Utah-Arizona s ...
, the
Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...
, the coast of Monterey, and mountain ranges including the Teton Range and the Wasatch Range. He believed that mountains were "the most noble subject for an artists' brush." With his love of science and intense self-study, he had a deep knowledge of and admiration for nature that was noticeable in his paintings. He was especially skilled at depicting topographical details and rock formations. In addition to his artistic activities, he worked as an associate editor for the ''Provo Enquirer'', provided articles and illustrations for ''Western Galaxy Magazine'', and operated a printing and publishing business. Together with his brothers, he ran a company that provided stone for some of Salt Lake City's public structures, including the City and County Building and the Post Office. His works appear in the collections of the
Utah Museum of Fine Arts The Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) is the region's primary resource for culture and visual arts. It is located in the Marcia and John Price Museum Building in Salt Lake City, Utah on the University of Utah campus near Rice-Eccles Stadium. Wor ...
, the Utah State Capitol Building, the
Utah Historical Society The Utah State Historical Society (USHS), founded in 1897 and now part of the Government of Utah Utah is a state in the United States of America. Its government consists of a state executive, legislative, and judicial branch, laid forth by the Cons ...
, and the
Springville Museum of Art The Springville Museum of Art in Springville, Utah, United States is the oldest museum for the visual fine arts in Utah. In 1986, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As of 2012, the museum's director is Rita Wrig ...
.

References

External links

Glimpses of Culmer
by Glen Nelson @ Mormon Artists' Group
Henry L. A. Culmer insurance document, MSS 6827
at
L. Tom Perry Special Collections The L. Tom Perry Special Collections is the special collections department of Brigham Young University (BYU)'s Harold B. Lee Library in Provo, Utah. Founded in 1957 with 1,000 books and 50 manuscript collections, as of 2016 the Library's special ...
, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University
Henry L. A. Culmer papers, MSS 8787
at
L. Tom Perry Special Collections The L. Tom Perry Special Collections is the special collections department of Brigham Young University (BYU)'s Harold B. Lee Library in Provo, Utah. Founded in 1957 with 1,000 books and 50 manuscript collections, as of 2016 the Library's special ...
, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University {{DEFAULTSORT:Culmer, Henry Lavender Adolphus 1854 births 1914 deaths English emigrants to the United States American landscape painters Painters from Utah Latter Day Saint artists