Hugh Henry Breckenridge (1870-1937), was an American painter and art instructor who championed the artistic movements from impressionism to modernism. Breckenridge taught for more than forty years at the

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryl ...

, becoming the school's Dean of Instruction in 1934. He also taught from 1920 to 1937 at his own Breckenridge School of Art in

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...

Biography

Breckenridge was born on October 6, 1870 in Leesburg, Virginia. He attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts where he met first met

William Edmondson William Edmondson (c. 1874–1951) was the first African-American folk art sculptor to be given a one-person show exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City (1937). Biography Edmondson was born sometime in December 1874 on the Compt ...

. In 1892, he traveled to Paris where he studied under

Adolphe William Bouguereau William-Adolphe Bouguereau (; 30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings, he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of classical subjects, with an emphasis on the female ...

. He travelled through Europe with his colleague

Walter E. Schofield Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

. In 1894 when he returned to Philadelphia he began his career at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), where he would teach for more than forty years. Breckenridge opened his own school in Gloucester, Massachusetts, the Breckenridge School of Art, where he taught summer classes every year from 1920 to 1937. Breckenridge exhibited widely from 1896 until his death, starting at the

Art Club of Philadelphia The Art Club of Philadelphia, often called the Philadelphia Art Club, was a club in Philadelphia, founded on February 7, 1887, to advance the arts.

and, towards the end of his life, in 1934, at the

Whitney Museum The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude ...

. His work was included in the 1926 Philadelphia Sesqui-Centennial Exhibition. Breckenridge was a member of the

Philadelphia Art Alliance The Philadelphia Art Alliance at University of the Arts is a multidisciplinary arts center located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. It is the oldest multidisciplinary arts center in the United States for visua ...

Philadelphia Sketch Club The Philadelphia Sketch Club, founded on November 20, 1860, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is one of America's oldest artists' clubs. The club's own web page proclaims it ''the'' oldest. Prominent members have included Joseph Pennell, Thomas Eaki ...

, and the Arts Club of Philadelphia. He died on November 4, 1937 in Philadelphia, while he was still on the faculty of the PAFA. File:Hugh Henry Breckenridge, White Phlox, 1906, oil on canvas, Terra Foundation for American Art.jpg, ''White Phlox'', 1906.

Terra Foundation for American Art The Terra Foundation for American Art is a privately operated nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of American art exhibitions, projects, academic research, and publications worldwide. Its goal is to promote a greater understanding and a ...

, Chicago, Illinois File:The Pestilence (formerly War).jpg, ''The Pestilence (formerly War)'', c.1918.

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Cape Ann Museum Cape Ann Museum is an art and historical museum located in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Its collection and programming focuses on the artists and art colonies of Cape Ann, including thRocky Neck Art Colonyand the Folly Cove Designers. The museum's c ...

, Gloucester, Massachusetts

Notable students

Walter Inglis Anderson Walter Inglis Anderson (September 29, 1903 – November 30, 1965) was an American painter and writer. Anderson died from cancer November 30, 1965, at the age of 62. Early life and education Anderson was born in New Orleans to George Walter A ...

* Sarah Baker *

Walter Emerson Baum Walter Emerson Baum (December 14, 1884 – July 12, 1956) was an American artist and educator active in the Bucks and Lehigh County areas of Pennsylvania in the United States. In addition to being a prolific painter, Baum was also responsible fo ...

* Maude Drein Bryant * Arthur Beecher Carles * Elizabeth Kitchenman Coyne *

Edith Emerson Edith Emerson (July 27, 1888 – November 21, 1981) was an American painter, muralist, illustrator, writer, and curator. She was the life partner of acclaimed muralist Violet Oakley and served as the vice-president, president, and curator of the ...

* Nancy Maybin Ferguson * Allan Freelon *

Ella Sophonisba Hergesheimer Ella Sophonisba Hergesheimer (January 7, 1873 – June 24, 1943) was an American illustrator, painter, and printmaker who painted and illustrated Tennessee society, including the state's women and children. As a printmaker, she pioneered the w ...

* Marie Hull *

Thomas Lorraine Hunt Thomas Lorraine Hunt (11 February 1882 – 17 April 1938) was a Canadian-American landscape painter of the 1920s and 30s, known especially for his dramatic use of color. His paintings are considered a transition from impressionism to modernism. ...

* Susette Schultz Keast *

Harriet Randall Lumis Harriet Randall Lumis (1870 – April 6, 1953) was a landscape painter based in Springfield, Massachusetts. Early life and education Harriet Randall was born in Salem, Connecticut. She began art studies after she married, in Springfield, Massachu ...

John Marin John Marin (December 23, 1870 – October 2, 1953) was an early American modernist artist. He is known for his abstract landscapes and watercolors. Biography Marin was born in Rutherford, New Jersey. His mother died nine days after his birth, ...

Delle Miller Adele Helene “Delle” Miller (1875-1932) was an American artist, craftswoman, and teacher. She was born in Kansas, but spent most of her life in Kansas City, Missouri. She worked with various media, including metalworking and oil paints. Amon ...

* Fritz Pfeiffer * Mary Elizabeth Price *

Leopold Seyffert Leopold Seyffert ca. 1910 Leopold Gould Seyffert (January 6, 1887 – June 13, 1956) was an American artist. Born in California, Missouri and raised as a child in Colorado and then Pittsburgh, his career brought him eventually to New York City, ...

Mary Given Sheerer Mary Given Sheerer (1865–1954) was an American ceramicist, designer, and art educator, best known for her affiliation with the Newcomb Pottery project at H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College, now part of Tulane University. Biography Sheerer w ...

Nan Sheets Nannine Jane "Nan" Quick Sheets (December 9, 1885 – September 1976) was an American painter, printmaker, and museum director. It has been said that she, along with Oscar Jacobsen, created the artistic community in central Oklahoma. Biography Bo ...

Ben Solowey Ben Solowey (1900–1978) was an American artist, known for his sculpture, painting, and drawing. He was born in Warsaw, Poland on August 29, 1900. In 1907, his family moved to St. Petersburg, Russia, then, when he was fourteen, to Philadelphia. ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Breckenridge, Hugh H. 1870 births 1937 deaths Artists from Philadelphia Painters from Pennsylvania American male painters American landscape painters 19th-century American painters 20th-century American painters Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts alumni 19th-century American male artists 20th-century American male artists

Biography

Notable students

Further reading

References