Wyatt Eaton, baptised Charles Wyatt Eaton, (May 6, 1849June 7, 1896) was a Canadian-American portrait and figure painter, remembered as one of the founders of the Society of American Artists.

Biography

Born in Philipsburg,

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...

, Eaton was a student 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 ...

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 * '' ...

, studying with

Samuel Colman Samuel Colman (March 4, 1832 – March 26, 1920) was an American painter, interior designer, and writer, probably best remembered for his paintings of the Hudson River. Life and career Born in Portland, Maine, Colman moved to New York City ...

, Daniel Huntington and others. In 1872, he moved to

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 ...

and studied at the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...

under Jean-Léon Gérôme. During this time, he made the acquaintance of Jean-François Millet at Barbizon, and was also influenced by his friend

Jules Bastien-Lepage Jules Bastien-Lepage (1 November 1848 – 10 December 1884) was a French painter closely associated with the beginning of naturalism, an artistic style that emerged from the later phase of the Realist movement. His most famous work is his lan ...

to believe that his art should focus on rural life. After his return 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 ...

in 1876, he painted a series of portraits of American poets for the ''Century'' magazine which were engraved by Timothy Cole (Eaton`s portrait of him is in the collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario). He became a teacher in the

Cooper Institute The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique in ...

, and opened a studio 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 ...

but returned to Montreal often to paint portraits. In 1880, he travelled to France and Italy. He became one of the founders of the American Art Association, later the Society of American Artists, of which he was the first secretary. He was also a founding member of the Society of Canadian Artists in Montreal (1867). Eaton died from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

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, ...

on June 7, 1896.

Works

1868 Events January–March * January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries. * January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsuhito, Emperor Meiji of Jap ...

- ''Study of a Classical Bust'', oil on canvas
National Gallery of Canada
*

1869 Events January–March * January 3 – Abdur Rahman Khan is defeated at Tinah Khan, and exiled from Afghanistan. * January 5 – Scotland's oldest professional football team, Kilmarnock F.C., is founded. * January 20 – E ...

- ''Study after the Antique'', c. 1869, oil on paper
National Gallery of Canada
*

1870 Events January–March * January 1 ** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England. ** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed. * January 3 – Construction of the Broo ...

- ''Ann Letta Stanton Baker'', oil on canvas
National Gallery of Canada
*

- ''Arthur Henry Gilmour'', oil on canvas
National Gallery of Canada
*

- ''Farmer's Boy'' *

- ''John Baker'', oil on canvas
National Gallery of Canada
*

- ''John Carpenter Baker'', oil on canvas
National Gallery of Canada
*

- ''Mary Jane Baker Gilmour'', oil on canvas
National Gallery of Canada
*

- ''Lillian Krans'', oil on canvas, Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa *

- ''Hiram Krans'', oil on canvas, Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa *

1873 Events January–March * January 1 ** Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar. ** The California Penal Code goes into effect. * January 17 – American Indian Wars: Modoc War: First Battle of the Stronghold – Modoc Indians defeat ...

- ''Landscape Sketch'', oil on canvas, mounted on cardboard �
National Gallery of Canada
*

- ''Monsieur Coclèze'', c. 1873
National Gallery of Canada
*

- ''Portrait of a Man''
National Gallery of Canada
*

1875 Events January–March * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the ...

- ''Reverie''
view
*

1876 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. * February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs i ...

- ''Harvesters at Rest'' *

1877 Events January–March * January 1 – Queen Victoria is proclaimed ''Empress of India'' by the ''Royal Titles Act 1876'', introduced by Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom . * January 8 – Great Sio ...

- ''Haystacks at Barbizon'', etching in brown on cream laid paper
National Gallery of Canada
*

- ''Laure'', etching on cream wove pape
National Gallery of Canada
*

- ''Trees in the Forest of Fontainebleau'', etching in brown on cream laid pape
National Gallery of Canada
*

1879 Events January–March * January 1 – The Specie Resumption Act takes effect. The United States Note is valued the same as gold, for the first time since the American Civil War. * January 11 – The Anglo-Zulu War begins. * Janu ...

- ''Boy Whittling'' *

- ''Portrait of William Cullen Bryant'', oil on canvas
Brooklyn Museum
*

1880 Events January–March * January 22 – Toowong State School is founded in Queensland, Australia. * January – The international White slave trade affair scandal in Brussels is exposed and attracts international infamy. * February � ...

- ''Grandmother and Child'' *

1881 Events January–March * January 1– 24 – Siege of Geok Tepe: Russian troops under General Mikhail Skobelev defeat the Turkomans. * January 13 – War of the Pacific – Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos: The C ...

- ''Portrait of a Lady'' (Mrs. W.W. Ladd Jr.?), charcoal on buff laid paper
National Gallery of Canada
*

1884 Events January–March * January 4 – The Fabian Society is founded in London. * January 5 – Gilbert and Sullivan's ''Princess Ida'' premières at the Savoy Theatre, London. * January 18 – Dr. William Price atte ...

- ''The Shepherdess,'' oil on canvas, Owens Art Gallery,

Mount Allison University Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839. Like other liberal arts colleges in North America, Mount Allison does not parti ...

- ''The Gleaner'', pastel on buff laid paper
National Gallery of Canada
*

1885 Events January–March * January 3– 4 – Sino-French War – Battle of Núi Bop: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing Chinese force, in northern Vietnam. * January 4 – ...

- ''Timothy Cole'', oil on canvas, *

1888 In Germany, 1888 is known as the Year of the Three Emperors. Currently, it is the year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be surpassed as late ...

- ''Ariadne'', oil on canvas
Smithsonian American Art Museum
*

1889 Events January–March * January 1 ** The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada. ** Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka experiences a vision, leading to the start of the Ghost Dance movement in the ...

- ''William T. Evans'', oil on canvas
Smithsonian American Art Museum
*

1894 Events January–March * January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire. * January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United S ...

- ''Sir William Van Horne'', oil on canvas
National Gallery of Canada
* ''Lassitude''
view

Portraits of Wyatt Eaton

* ''Portrait of Wyatt Eaton'', c. 1878, J. Alden Weir, oil on canva
Smithsonian American Art Museum
* ''Self-portrait, 1879'
Canadian gallery of Art

Notes

References

* Sherman, Frederic Fairchild, ''American Painters of Yesterday and Today'', 1919, Priv. print in New York. Chapter: Figure Pictures by Wyatt Eaton
online
Attribution: *

External links

at Artcyclopedia.com
Wyatt Eaton
at AskArt.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Eaton, Wyatt 19th-century American painters American male painters 19th-century Canadian painters Canadian male painters 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis 1849 births 1896 deaths Tuberculosis deaths in Rhode Island Canadian alumni of the École des Beaux-Arts Canadian emigrants to the United States American expatriates in France 19th-century American male artists 19th-century Canadian male artists