![William Preston Phelps, Nov 1897](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/William_Preston_Phelps%2C_Nov_1897.jpg)
William Preston Phelps (1848–1923), known as "the Painter of the
Monadnock
An inselberg or monadnock () is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain.
In Southern Africa a similar formation of granite is known as a koppie, a ...
",
was an American landscape painter.
Early years
He was born on the family farm near
Chesham
Chesham (, , or ) is a market town and civil parish in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordsh ...
, in what is now the Pottersville section of
Dublin, New Hampshire
Dublin is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,532 at the 2020 census. It is home to Dublin School and ''Yankee'' magazine.
History
In 1749, the Masonian proprietors granted the town as "Monadnock No. ...
on March 6, 1848 to mother Mary Phelps and father Jayson Phelps.
["Animal and Sporting Artist in America" by F. Turner Reuter, Jr. 2008]
"Preston", as he was known, grew up helping out on the very active family farm, where his father in his spare time, liked to paint, build furniture and musical instruments. Preston drew constantly, when he wasn't tending the animals or mowing the fields. His father recognized the financial benefits of talents, as he too painted houses as extra income, and sent William on to the thriving mill city of
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...
to work for the sign painter Jeduthan Kittredge at the age of 14.
[
While engaged as a sign painter in Lowell, Phelps created paintings on canvas on the side. All the while, he fell in love with the boss's daughter, Anna Marie. At the age of 20, in 1868 he married Anna, and a year later he opened his own sign painting company on the same street as his father-in-law's business. On August 21, 1871 in Lowell, the young couple had a daughter named Ina Kittredge Phelps.][ ] A son, Edward, was born three years later. Phelps' talents began to shift away from signage, as people were so impressed by the intricacies and beauty of his work, patrons started to hire him for canvas paintings.[ To focus his talent, he began to take the train into ]Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
for evening art classes, then he would paint landscape scenes that he sold out of the window of his shop.[ After a few years, at the age of 27, he had his first exhibition of his works, in Lowell, where a group of patrons were so impressed, they funded Phelps to study abroad 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 ...
.
Travelling years
Leaving his wife Anna and their two children behind, the 28-year-old set sail in 1875 for the Royal Academy of Art
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...
in Munich to study painting for two years before heading back to the States.
He returned home only to settle his estate, then set sail, this time with his entire family, which would be some of the happiest days of his life. Now, with his family around him, he studied the art of "plein air
''En plein air'' (; French for 'outdoors'), or ''plein air'' painting, is the act of painting outdoors.
This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein air' painting ...
" painting under Munich's Veltron. Here he travelled up and down the Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
and Düssel
The Düssel is a small right tributary of the river Rhine in North Rhine Westphalia, Germany. Its source is east of Wülfrath. It flows westward through the Neander Valley where the fossils of the first known to be Neanderthal man were found i ...
rivers, setting up elaborate tents to paint outside,[ all the while sending paintings back to the States for exhibition at 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 ...
where they sold two paintings for him. He lived in Munich for another three years, where he studied with other Lowellians, including James McNeill Whistler
James Abbott McNeill Whistler (; July 10, 1834July 17, 1903) was an American painter active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He eschewed sentimentality and moral allusion in painting and was a leading pr ...
and David Dalhoff Neal
David Dalhoff Neal (October 20, 1838May 2, 1915), was an American artist.
Early years
David Dalhoff Neal was born to father Stephen Bryant Neal and mother Mary (Dalhoff) Neal, on Middlesex Street, in Lowell, Massachusetts. His grandparents were ...
, and was also co-founder of the Munich Art Club with other members such as Walter Shirlaw
Walter Shirlaw (August 6, 1838 – December 26, 1909) was a Scottish-American artist.''Dictionary of American Biography'' (1936) Charles Scribner's Sons, New York
Biography
Shirlaw was born in Paisley, Scotland, and moved to the United States ...
, David Dalhoff Neal
David Dalhoff Neal (October 20, 1838May 2, 1915), was an American artist.
Early years
David Dalhoff Neal was born to father Stephen Bryant Neal and mother Mary (Dalhoff) Neal, on Middlesex Street, in Lowell, Massachusetts. His grandparents were ...
, Frank Duveneck
Frank Duveneck (né Decker; October 9, 1848 – January 3, 1919) was an American figure and portrait painter.
Early life
Duveneck was born in Covington, Kentucky, the son of German immigrant Bernhard Decker. Decker died in a cholera epidemic whe ...
, and William Merritt Chase
William Merritt Chase (November 1, 1849October 25, 1916) was an American painter, known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later would become Parsons School of Design. ...
. Next he headed for 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 ...
where he stayed for two more years.
From their new residence in Paris, they travelled to England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, and Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. After five years of traveling through Europe, the family headed for home, sailing from Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
to New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, then by coach to Lowell, where they received a hero's welcome.[
After settling his family, Phelps once again headed for Europe in 1881 for a whirlwind trip, this time to the ]Scottish Highlands
The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...
, then with his friend William Merritt Chase
William Merritt Chase (November 1, 1849October 25, 1916) was an American painter, known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later would become Parsons School of Design. ...
on a working tour of Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
, and Capri
Capri ( , ; ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. The main town of Capri that is located on the island shares the name. It has been ...
, then back to Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
before returning to Lowell via New York. After a devastating sail back across the Atlantic, that took the lives of three crewmen and broke the main mast in a hurricane, William again set up his studio shop in Lowell.
Now back on dry land, and with his shop in Lowell, William began travel up and down the New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
coast, painting landscapes in the summers, while also painting portraits of prize cattle and bulls in the off season for the next five years. Then, in 1886, he headed west. Here he painted 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 ...
on a huge 7' x 12' canvas which required him to erect a shelter around him as he painted outside or "plein aire".
With the death of his father in 1888, William and Anna moved the family to the old family farm at the foot of Mount Monadnock
Mount Monadnock, or Grand Monadnock, is a mountain in the towns of Jaffrey and Dublin, New Hampshire. It is the most prominent mountain peak in southern New Hampshire and is the highest point in Cheshire County. It lies southwest of Concord a ...
in New Hampshire, just after Anna finished out high school in the summer of 1890.
Later years
After spending a majority of his 30s traveling and painting around Europe and the U.S., Phelps finally settled down in 1890 when he re-acquired his old family farm near Chesham, New Hampshire. He remained in the area painting many exterior New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
landscapes. Here is when he perfected the "plain air" style. Even in winter, Phelps continued to paint outdoors by building an elaborate shelter studio, that could be transported by a horse-drawn sled, and had its own oil burning stove for heat.[
His daughter Ina Kittredge Phelps became an artist in her own right, who married Robert Peter Hayward on March 21, 1893. Ina and Robert settled down the road in Keene, where they raised their five children, including the famous inventor, architect, and artist ]Roger Hayward
Roger Hayward (1899 – October 11, 1979) was an American artist, architect, optical designer and astronomer. He is the inventor of an early Schmidt-Cassegrain camera that was patented in 1945. He was born on January 7, 1899, to mother, artist I ...
.
In 1901, tragedy struck, when his son Edward, now 27, an artist and lecturer himself, was traveling in Waco, Texas
Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the ...
, and rescued a child from the tracks of an oncoming train. He saved the child, but was struck dead by the train. Phelps' wife Anna died just six months later. Phelps began to drink heavily, and in 1906 he remarried but divorced in 1909. By his late 60s, William started to fade with the sadness of his wife Anna and son Edward passing away, and his finances weakened. In 1914, he began to borrow money from a Lowell financing firm, and quickly got into debt.[ After Phelps pulled a gun on his friend and neighbor in the winter of 1917, the authorities were notified. The police came and escorted the aging artist away, and was labeled an "invalid" by the ]asylum
Asylum may refer to:
Types of asylum
* Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome
* Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute
* Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea
...
in Concord, New Hampshire
Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua.
The village of ...
.[ On August 2, 1917 all his possessions were auctioned off, all around the same time his grandson Roger was graduating from Keene High School and heading off to ]MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...
. On January 6, 1923, at the age of 75, William died in the same community he was born. He was laid to rest in Edson Cemetery
The Edson Cemetery is a cemetery located in Lowell, Massachusetts, at 1375 Gorham Street.
Overview
Edson Cemetery was opened as a public burial ground by the city of Lowell in 1846. It was named in honor of Rev. Theodore Edson, who was minister o ...
in Lowell, Massachusetts.[
Today, many of Phelps' papers, work orders, and art are archived at the Smithsonian.]
Notable works
*"Haying"
*"Tillers of the soil"
*"Reflections"
*"Wooded landscape with waterfall"
*"Grand Canyon", 1886
*"Afternoon Walk" ca.1890
*"Mount Monadnock
Mount Monadnock, or Grand Monadnock, is a mountain in the towns of Jaffrey and Dublin, New Hampshire. It is the most prominent mountain peak in southern New Hampshire and is the highest point in Cheshire County. It lies southwest of Concord a ...
from Stone Pond" (ca.1900) displayed at the Currier Museum of Art
The Currier Museum of Art is an art museum in Manchester, New Hampshire, in the United States. It features European and American paintings, decorative arts, photographs and sculpture. The permanent collection includes works by Picasso, Matisse, Mon ...
.
*"Cows Crossing the Brook"
*"Landscape with Sheep"
*"Logging in the Deep Woods"
*"Cattle at the Water Trough, Winter"
*"Late Afternoon, A Winter Day"
*"Autumn River Scene"
*"Mischief In The Barn"
*"Rabbit Hunters"
References
External links
Artwork by William Preston Phelps
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phelps, William Preston
1848 births
1917 deaths
People from Dublin, New Hampshire
19th-century American painters
19th-century American male artists
American male painters
20th-century American painters
Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni
American landscape painters
Painters from New Hampshire
Artists from Lowell, Massachusetts
20th-century American male artists