Earl Shinn: Difference between revisions
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'''Earl Shinn''' (born November 8, 1838 in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]]-died November 3, 1886 in [[New York City]]) was an [[American]] [[art critic]] and art historian. He served as art editor for the [[''Nation'']] from 1874 to 1879 and contributed to the magazine ''The Art Amateur'' from 1879 to 1884. During the 1870s and 1880s, Shinn wrote a number of books on art, including a catalogue of the art gallery at the 1876 [[Centennial Exhibition]] in [[Philadelphia]]. His most famous works are the two multi-volume publications he wrote on the private art collections of wealthy [[Americans]]: ''The Art Treasures of America'' (published between 1879 and 1882) and ''Mr. Vanderbilt's House and Collection'', in which he reviewed the art collection of [[William Henry Vanderbilt]]. Both books shed light on the tastes and collecting habits of wealthy art collectors in the Gilded Age. Shinn was also a member of the Tile Club, a group of [[New York]] artists and writers whose membership included [[Winslow Homer]] and [[William Merritt Chase]]. Though prominent in his day, Shinn was quickly forgotten after his death. |
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'''Earl Shinn''' (November 8, 1838-November 3, 1886) was an American art critic and art historian. |
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He was born in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], the seventh and youngest child of Earl and Sarah Shinn, Orthodox Quakers and members of Philadelphia Monthly Meeting. Shinn showed an interest in drawing and painting from an early age but was discouraged from pursuing those interests by his parents who, as was the fashion for many nineteenth-century Quakers, rejected the arts as frivolous and impious. Shinn attended [[Westtown School]], a Quaker boarding school in nearby [[Chester County]], from 1853 to 1854. Between 1854 and 1859, it appears that Shinn worked in Philadelphia as a [[conveyancer]] with his brother-in-law Henry Haines. In 1859, Shinn defied his parents' wishes and enrolled in the [[Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts]] to study drawing and painting. He studied there until 1863 and during that time helped establish the Philadelphia Sketch Club, for which he served as an officer for several years. In 1864, Shinn moved to New York where he found a job as a staff writer for the popular weekly [[Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper]]. He wrote a column for the paper called "New York Gossip" in which he reviewed art exhibition openings, theater and opera productions, and local political activities. Soon, however, Shinn grew tired of writing for Leslie's publication and left the paper in the summer of 1865. |
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That same summer, both of Shinn's parents died within two months of each other. With a small inheritance from their death, Shinn traveled to [[Paris]] in the spring of 1866 in order to further his artistic training. He traveled with Howard Roberts, a young sculptor and classmate of Shinn's at the [[Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts]]. Shinn was enamored of Paris and its art and especially loved the Louvre. |
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Revision as of 17:59, 5 September 2007
Earl Shinn (born November 8, 1838 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-died November 3, 1886 in New York City) was an American art critic and art historian. He served as art editor for the ''Nation'' from 1874 to 1879 and contributed to the magazine The Art Amateur from 1879 to 1884. During the 1870s and 1880s, Shinn wrote a number of books on art, including a catalogue of the art gallery at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. His most famous works are the two multi-volume publications he wrote on the private art collections of wealthy Americans: The Art Treasures of America (published between 1879 and 1882) and Mr. Vanderbilt's House and Collection, in which he reviewed the art collection of William Henry Vanderbilt. Both books shed light on the tastes and collecting habits of wealthy art collectors in the Gilded Age. Shinn was also a member of the Tile Club, a group of New York artists and writers whose membership included Winslow Homer and William Merritt Chase. Though prominent in his day, Shinn was quickly forgotten after his death.