William Holbrook Beard

Self Portrait in the Studio, 1860s, oil on canvas, New York Historical Society

William Holbrook Beard (April 13, 1825 – February 20, 1900) was an American painter who is known for his satirical paintings of animals, especially bears, participating in human activities.

Life

Beard was born in Painesville, Ohio. He studied abroad, is associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting, and in 1861 moved to New York City, where, in 1862, he became a member of the National Academy of Design. Beard opened his own artist's studio on Tenth Street in New York City in a building known as the Studio Building. Beard was a prolific artist. His humorous treatment of bears, cats, dogs, horses and monkeys, generally with some human occupation and expression, usually satirical, gave him a great vogue at one time, and his pictures were largely reproduced.[1]

His brother, James Henry Beard (1814–1893), was also a painter.[1]

William is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

Selected Works

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Holbrook Beard.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/7/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.