William Parsons Winchester Dana (18 February 1833 – 8 April 1927) was an American artist who settled in France. Later he emigrated to London, and became a naturalised British Subject. His paintings were generally small, painted with oils on canvas in an anglicized tradition. Dana's transatlanticism influenced Monet and the French impressionists, whom he met in Paris and Normandy. But his most enduring feature as an artist was a highly personalised, naturalistic style, intimate and affective of familiarity. Yet he remained very much in the romantic vein of older painters from an earlier period, essentially conservative, but observant of minute detail.
Early life
William Parsons Dana was born in
Boston, Massachusetts on February 18, 1833. He was the son of Samuel Dana, a banker, and Nancy, daughter of Peter Winchester of Boston. He studied at the
Chauncy Hall School and graduated from the
Boston Latin School
The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in the British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum f ...
, intended for the law, but being from a large wealthy family was not short of money. He left home early and spent much time in New Hampshire, teaching himself to draw at
Manchester, NH
Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644.
Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Hamps ...
, learning to sketch in the early 1850s. Like so many American genre painters his early works were dominated by the attraction of rural landscapes that went down to the sea. The animals and children emerged at first in context, and then grew in importance as his career developed.
Career
Dana was attracted to a sailor's life, and made several voyages, then decided to study art, went to Paris in 1852, became a pupil of
Picot
picot is a loop of thread created for functional or ornamental purposes along the edge of lace or ribbon, or croché, knitted or tatted fabric. The loops vary in size according to their function and artistic intention.
'Picot', pronounced ''p ...
and
Le Poitevin and a student in the School of arts, and spent his summers sketching in
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
and
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...
. Some of his earliest sketches are of Manchester, MA.
After marrying in 1855, the Danas made their first foray to Paris, France, where he occasionally went to the French salon, but decided to return when the
U.S. 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 ...
erupted. He returned to the United States in 1862, was chosen a full member of the
National Academy of Design
The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...
in 1863, painted in New York City and
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...
, where two years later some of his works found their way to the National Academy as donations by the late James A Suydam.
Thereafter he emigrated to establish his studio in
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 ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, where he returned after the end of the U.S. Civil War. For the next twelve years he lived and worked in Paris, visiting the many impressionist painters in Normandy and painting many of the same scenes, notably the ''Rock at Etretat'', much favored by
Monet
Oscar-Claude Monet (, , ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of impressionist painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During ...
. Known as the American Impressionist, he lived with his wife at Rue St Honore Faubourg, Paris, had a studio in the city in some contentment. He often visited
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
. Among his many paintings there were those of ''Le Havre'' and ''The Rock at Etretat''.
In 1878, he moved to London with his daughter, Marion for her prospective marriage to a London barrister. That summer he won an International Gold Medal at the
Paris Exposition. Dana continued to paint in London, notably the famous view across the Thames to the
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parli ...
, and
Waterloo Bridge
Waterloo Bridge () is a road and foot traffic bridge crossing the River Thames in London, between Blackfriars Bridge and Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges. Its name commemorates the victory of the British, Dutch and Prussians at the ...
, as well as several of the pea-soup fog shrouding the river. His generic paintings included many of donkeys, on beaches, and so on, and others of animals and children. But Dana was probably best known for his seascapes, especially for a self-portrait depicting him wearing sou-wester oilskins. He exhibited at the
Society of Artists in
Birmingham, England
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
.
Works
His first pictures were marine views, but subsequently he treated genre subjects with success, and was happy in painting children, horses, and dogs. Some of his principal works are:
* ''View of Dieppe'' (+ 11 others; 12 works, various sizes), 1857–1909
* ''Morning On The Beach'', 1859, oil on canvas
* ''Sailing on Calm Seas', 1861
* ''Heart's Ease'', 1863
* ''On the beach'', 1876
* ''Les barques au coucher du soleil'', 1879
* ''Chase of the Frigate Constitution''
* ''Waiting for the Fishing-Boat''
* ''Low Tide at Yport''
* ''French Peasant-Girl''
* ''Maternal Care''
* ''Emby's Admirals''
* ''Breakers'', 1880
* ''Fisherman Facing Rough Seas'', 1887
* ''Land of Nod''
* ''English Greyhound''
* ''The Seaweed Gatherers''
* ''Bord de mer'', 1903
* ''Collecting the wrack'', 1910
* ''The U.S. frigate Constitution chased by an English squadron, July 1812'' , 1862
* ''Biarritz - Seascape''
* ''Gathering seaweed'' , 1910
* ''Golf course - le Touquet'', 1910
* ''Of the French coast, moonlight''
* ''Coastal view'', 1910
* ''Cottage''
* ''A Country Lane'', 1909
* ''A Cottage in a Country Lane'', 1909
* ''Biarritz''
* ''Snowscene''
* ''Coastal scene with two fishing boats berthed on the beach''
* ''Collecting the Wrack'', oil on canvas, signed and dated 1910
Personal life
On December 27, 1855 in Paris, France, Dana married Anna Bronson Murray (1831–1915), daughter of Colonel
James Boyles Murray
James Boyles Murray (November 6, 1789 – February 14, 1866) was a businessman and leading member of New York society in the early-to-mid-19th century.
Early life
Murray was born to a wealthy immigrant family in Alexandria, Virginia on November 6, ...
of New York and Maria Bronson, daughter of the New York banker,
Isaac Bronson
Dr. Isaac Bronson (March 10, 1760 in Middlebury, CT – May 19, 1838 in Greenfield Hill) was a surgeon during the American Revolutionary War. He was later a successful banker and land speculator and is credited with co-founding the New York Lif ...
. Together, they had six children, including:
* Marian Caroline Dana (b. 1857), who married
Wilson Noble
Wilson Noble (21 November 1854 – 1 November 1917) was a barrister and Conservative Party politician in England who served from 1886 to 1895 as Member of Parliament (MP) for Hastings in East Sussex.
Early life
Noble was born 21 November 1854 ...
(1854–1917), an
MP for
Hastings
Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
.
Their daughter, Lilian Georgette, was mother of the
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...
shooting sport
Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms (firearms and airguns, in forms such ...
participant
Ingram Capper
Ingram Ord Capper (17 November 1907 − 12 July 1986) was a British sports shooter. He competed in the 100 m running deer event at the 1952 Summer Olympics.
Early life
Capper was the elder son (there being also two daughters) of Captain Robert ...
.
* William Stephen Dana (1861–1864), who died as a child.
* Anna Georgette Dana (1862–1932), who married Philippe Bérard (1856–1911), Chevalier of the
Legion of Honor
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
, in 1887.
* Robert Washington Dana (1868–1956), who was a
naval architect This is the top category for all articles related to architecture and its practitioners.
{{Commons category, Architecture occupations
Design occupations
Architecture, Occupations ...
who designed destroyers for the Admiralty and Royal Navy during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. He was also the assistant to
John Wolfe Barry
Sir John Wolfe Barry (7 December 1836 – 22 January 1918), the youngest son of famous architect Sir Charles Barry, was an English civil engineer of the late 19th and early 20th century. His most famous project is Tower Bridge over the River ...
on the construction of
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a Listed building#Grade I, Grade I listed combined Bascule bridge, bascule and Suspended-deck suspension bridge, suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones (architect), Horace Jones and e ...
, and the Resident Engineer for reconstruction of
Kew Bridge
Kew Bridge is a wide-span bridge over the Tideway (upper estuary of the Thames) linking the London Boroughs of Richmond upon Thames and Hounslow. The present bridge, which was opened in 1903 as King Edward VII Bridge by King Edward VII and Quee ...
. Robert married Anna Kane, daughter of William H. Kane.
Bob Dana wrote a biographical pamphlet about his father's life and friendships with
John Singer Sargent
John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and more ...
and
Rex Whistler
Reginald John "Rex" Whistler (24 June 190518 July 1944) was a British artist, who painted murals and society portraits, and designed theatrical costumes. He was killed in action in Normandy in World War II. Whistler was the brother of poet and ...
, two of the most significant American painters of the Post-impressionist period.
[Robert W Dana, ''William Parsons Winchester Dana: Biographical Note'', (London, 1927)]
Dana died in London in 1927, a very rich man with a large family, and a British subject. His daughter died within months of Dana, also in 1927, his wife having long predeceased him. After his death, all of his paintings were put on show in London's west end at the Gieves Art Gallery.
References
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External links
William Parsons Winchester Danaat Liveauctioneers.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dana, William Parsons
National Academy of Design members
19th-century American painters
American male painters
20th-century American painters
1833 births
1927 deaths
19th-century American male artists
20th-century American male artists