Etchings and Lithographs by Childe Hassam, August 8-September 6, 1959

Frederick Childe Hassam was born on October 17, 1859 in Boston, Massachusetts. Though his father claimed English ancestry from the name Horsham, Childe was often thought to be of Middle Eastern descent, speculation that Hassam himself enjoyed perpetuating. In 1876, Hassam apprenticed with a local wood-engraver and soon became a free-lance illustrator. He attended the Boston Art Club, then briefly studied anatomy with William Rimmer at the Lowell Institute, as well as took private art lessons with German-born painter Ignaz Gaugengigl. In 1883, Hassam and his artist friend Edmund H. Garrett traveled to Great Britain, The Netherlands, Spain, and Italy where Hassam produced a large number of watercolor paintings. In 1884 he married Kathleen Maude Doane and they lived in Boston until spring 1886 when they moved to Europe. In Paris, Hassam studied figure painting with Classical and Orientalist artist Gustave Boulanger and Romantic artist Jules Lefebvre at the Academie Julian. He exhibited his work at the Salons of 1887 and 1888. He and his wife returned to the United States in 1889, settling in New York City. There Hassam joined the New York Watercolor Club and the Pastel Society of New York. He exhibited with the Society of American Artists until 1897 when he helped found the famous group of American painters called “The Ten,” which formed after the Society rejected the impressionist style Hassam and the other artists had adopted. The group exhibited their works together for about 20 years until dissolving due to deaths of members and lack of public interest.

From the 1890s to 1920, Hassam painted throughout New England, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, where he produced some of his best known images. Hassam made East Hampton, Long Island, New York his home after 1920. He lived there until his death on August 27, 1935.

Sources:
Brockett, Erik. The Ten American Painters. Antiques & Fine Art Magazine. Accessed April 14, 2022.
https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.1379.html.