Edmund Charles Tarbell Painting Reproductions 2 of 2

Edmund Charles Tarbell, born on 26 April 1862 in West Groton, Massachusetts, spent his formative years under the guardianship of his grandparents. From an early age, he displayed a remarkable aptitude for drawing - an inclination that led him to the Massachusetts Normal School between 1877 and 1878. At fifteen, he began an apprenticeship at the Forbes Lithographic Company, polishing his draftsmanship over three years before undertaking more formal studies at the Boston Museum School. In these early stages, he developed close ties with fellow artists Frank W. Benson and Robert Reid, absorbing the teaching of Otto Grundmann and Frederick Crowninshield, who guided him toward a rigorous understanding of classical and contemporary approaches to art.

By 1884, seeking further refinement, he joined his friends at the Academie Julian in Paris. Under the tutelage of Gustave Boulanger, Jules-Joseph Lefebvre, Adolphe William Bouguereau, and William Turner Dannat, he explored principles that would influence his evolving style, particularly the harmonious blend of traditional technique and the subtleties he found in Impressionist canvases. He frequented the Louvre, studying closely the works of Old Masters, while also traveling through Italy and England with Benson before returning to the United States in 1886. These excursions cemented his respect for craftsmanship, establishing a foundation that would govern his oeuvre for decades to come.

Once back in Boston, Tarbell briefly sought opportunities in New York, where he formed a connection with William Merritt Chase, president of the Society of American Artists. Joining their ranks, and later exhibiting at the National Academy of Design, Tarbell expanded his professional network while maintaining a studio in Boston. Between 1886 and 1888, he supported himself through magazine illustration and portraiture, and in 1888 he married Emeline Arnold Souther. His growing reputation led to a teaching position at the Boston Museum School, where he succeeded Otto Grundmann as head of the painting department in 1890. Over twenty-three years, his classroom became an influential environment - one in which high standards of execution were championed and an appreciation for elegant subject matter was nurtured. His resignation in 1913 followed an internal conflict, prompting him to found the Guild of Boston Artists, where he served as president. By this point, he was already recognized as one of Boston’s central figures in the arts, particularly for his role among The Ten - a group that famously separated from the Society of American Artists and mounted its own exhibition in 1898.

Tarbell’s appointment as director of the Corcoran School of Art in 1918 brought him to Washington, D.C., though his commissions occasionally took him abroad for portrait work. Notably, the United States government requested official likenesses of President Woodrow Wilson and Marshall Ferdinand Foch, both completed in 1920 for the National Portrait Gallery. By 1926, Tarbell had retired to New Castle, New Hampshire, where he would remain until his death in 1938. Over the course of his career, he gained recognition for his insistence on strong draftsmanship, as exemplified by the so-called “Tarbellites,” a circle of followers who embraced his emphasis on refined technique and genteel themes. While Boston’s upperclass patrons once favored only European art, Tarbell’s persistent dedication to quality - reinforced by exhibitions and accolades such as the Thomas B. Clarke Prize (awarded in 1890, 1894, and 1900), the Columbian Exposition Medal (1893), and the Lippincott Prize (1895) - helped cultivate broader esteem for American artists. It was through this engagement with patrons, students, and peers that Tarbell’s legacy took enduring shape, influencing successive generations to value exacting standards and quiet elegance within the realm of painting.