Edwin Austin Abbey
Edwin Austin Abbey was a prominent American illustrator, painter, and muralist known for his contributions during the Golden Age of Illustration. Born in Pennsylvania in the mid-nineteenth century, Abbey began his art education at the age of fourteen and later worked as a draftsman while attending the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He gained early recognition at Harper's Weekly, where he first published work in 1870 and eventually returned as a well-compensated staff illustrator. Abbey's artistic journey took him to Europe in 1878, where he immersed himself in the vibrant art community, particularly in England, which became his home.
Throughout his career, Abbey was influenced by the European art scene, shifting from pen illustrations to oil painting. He gained acclaim for his mural commissions, most notably the Holy Grail murals at the Boston Public Library. Abbey's artistic legacy continued after his death in 1911, with his wife donating over two thousand of his works to the Yale University Art Gallery. His impact on the art world remains significant, reflecting both his individual talent and the broader trends of his time.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Edwin Austin Abbey
Fine Artist
- Born: April 1, 1852
- Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Died: August 1, 1911
- Place of death: London, England
Biography
Edwin Austin Abbey, a hugely renowned and talented illustrator, painter, and muralist during the Golden Age of Illustration, was born in the mid-nineteenth century in Pennsylvania. Art lessons began at the age of fourteen under a private instructor. In a few short years, he took a position with a publishing firm as a draftsman, while he enrolled in night classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. By the time he was nineteen years old, he had moved to New York and was submitting work toHarper’s Weekly. He was with Harper’s for three years, who first published him in 1870. Abbey left Harper’s when he was twenty-two to freelance, returning at twenty-four as a fully employed staff illustrator receiving more than three times his original salary.
As a mostly self-taught artist, Abbey sought out influences. He mingled with the arts community through the arts clubs in New York, and was one of the six founders of the Tile Club. Abbey’s own first exhibition was for the American Water Color Society. During the United States Centennial, with its centennial exhibition event, an enormous selection of European art came to Philadelphia; this drew the young Abbey’s attention. Inspired, especially by the contemporary English influences, he desired to travel to Europe. He followed this desire in 1878, but continued to illustrate for Harper’s, including She Stoops to Conquer, several publications in book form, and a series of Shakespeare comedies. Abbey discovered process printing, and found that his illustrations retained much of their life-like qualities, as opposed to the woodcut method of printing graphics.
Abbey found England much to his liking; he discovered the artistic camaraderie and historic excellence he needed. Although the most significant commission of his career came from the United States, England became his home. While the pen was his first medium—his work with it grew even stronger in England—he also began to delve into oil painting under the influence of the European art community. Abbey’s Broadway studio attracted the likes of fellow artists such as Sargent, Tadema, DuMauier, and Whistler. With a short visit to the United States in 1889, including marriage vows exchanged with Mary Gertrude Mead in New York in 1890, his subsequent return to Europe convinced him that oil painting was where his heart lay. He was forty years old.
Among his first published European oil paintings were the costume illustrations from the Shakespeare work for Harper’s. Having only completed two oil paintings and while living in London, Abbey’s two greatest mural commissions came from the United States. His most famous commission was the Holy Grail murals at the White Boston Public Library. Another important commission consisted of the murals for the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania statehouse’s Rotunda, House, and Senate Chambers, and the Supreme and Superior Court Room. The year his fist mural was completed, 1905, he was elected president of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists. He was appointed the official court painter of coronation in Westminster Abbey. He died unexpectedly six years later, and wife oversaw the completion of his state capital mural installation. Two decades later, she donated over two thousand of Abbey’s works to the Yale University Art Gallery.