Walter Shirlaw (August 6, 1838 – December 26, 1909) was a

Scottish-American Scottish Americans or Scots Americans (Scottish Gaelic language, Scottish Gaelic: ''Ameireaganaich Albannach''; sco, Scots-American) are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Scotland. Scottish people, Scottish Americans are cl ...

artist.''Dictionary of American Biography'' (1936) Charles Scribner's Sons, New York

Biography

Shirlaw was born in

Paisley, Scotland Paisley ( ; sco, Paisley, gd, Pàislig ) is a large town situated in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Located north of the Gleniffer Braes, the town borders the city of Glasgow to the east, and straddles the banks of the White Cart Wate ...

, and moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

with his parents in 1840. He worked as a bank-note engraver, and his work was first exhibited at the

National Academy A national academy is an organizational body, usually operating with state financial support and approval, that co-ordinates scholarly research activities and standards for academic disciplines, most frequently in the sciences but also the humanit ...

in 1861. He was elected an academician of the Chicago Academy of Design in 1868. Among his pupils there was

Frederick Stuart Church Frederick Stuart Church (1842–1924) was an American artist, working mainly as an illustrator and especially known for his (often allegorical) depiction of animals. Biography He was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His father was an impor ...

. From 1870 to 1877 he studied in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, under

Johann Leonhard Raab Johann Leonhard Raab ( Unterschwaningen 29 March 1825 – 2 April 1899 Munich) was a German printmaker and painter.Friedrich Pecht: ''Verzeichnis der Abbildungen'', in: ''Schiller-Galerie ...'' sowie dito in: ''Goethe-Galerie ...'' Life After re ...

Alexander von Wagner Alexander originally Sándor von Wagner (April 16, 1838 – January 19, 1919) was a Hungarian painter. Biography Wagner was born in Pesth. After graduating from the Real-Gymnasium in his hometown at the age of nineteen, he entered the Ac ...

, Arthur von Ramberg, and Wilhelm Lindenschmidt. Walter Shirlaw 001

His first work of importance was the ''Toning of the Bell'' (1874), which was followed by ''Sheep-shearing in the Bavarian Highlands'' (1876). The latter, which is probably the best of his works, received honorable mention at the

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

exposition in 1878. A critical appraisal appeared at about this time by the American writer, S.G.W. Benjamin: Other notable works from his easel are ''Good Morning'' (1878), in the Buffalo Academy; ''Indian Girl'' and ''Very Old'' (1880); ''Gossip'' (1884); and ''Jealousy'' (1886), owned by the Academy of Design, New York. His largest work is the frieze for the dining-room in the house of Darius O. Mills 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 ...

. Shirlaw has also earned an excellent reputation as an illustrator. He was one of the founders of the

Society of American Artists The Society of American Artists was an American artists group. It was formed in 1877 by artists who felt the National Academy of Design did not adequately meet their needs, and was too conservative. The group began meeting in 1874 at the home of ...

and its first president. On his return from

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

he took charge of the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may stu ...

, and for several years taught in the composition class. He became an associate of the

in 1887, and an academician the following year. He died in

Madrid, Spain Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

on December 26, 1909, and was buried in the British Cemetery there.Mrs. Florence M. Shirlaw (1910) "Biographical Sketch of Walter Shirlaw", ''Special Exhibition Catalogue'', City Art Museum of St. Louis

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* 1838 births 1909 deaths 19th-century American painters 19th-century American male artists American male painters 20th-century American painters Art Students League of New York faculty Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni Artists from Paisley, Renfrewshire Scottish emigrants to the United States Burials at the British Cemetery in Madrid 20th-century American male artists {{US-painter-1830s-stub