- Walter Shirlaw
Walter Shirlaw (
August 6 ,1838 –December 30 ,1909 ) was aScottish-American artist.Shirlaw was born in
Paisley, Scotland , and moved to theUnited States with his parents in 1840. He worked as a bank-note engraver, and his work was first exhibited at the National Academy in 1861.He was elected an academician of the
Chicago Academy of Design in 1868. Among his pupils there wasFrederick Stuart Church . From 1870 to 1877 he studied inMunich , underGeorge Raab ,Richard Wagner ,Arthur George von Ramberg , andWilhelm Lindenschmidt .His first work of importance was the "Toning of the Bell" (1874), which was followed by "Sheep-shearing in the Bavarian Highlands" (1876). The latter, which is probably the best of his works, received honorable mention at the
Paris exposition in 1878.Other notable works from his easel are "Good Morning" (1878), in the Buffalo Academy; "Indian Girl" and "Very Old" (1880); "Gossip" (1884); and "Jealousy" (1886), owned by the Academy of Design, New York.
His largest work is the frieze for the dining-room in the house of
Darius O. Mills inNew York . Shirlaw has also earned an excellent reputation as an illustrator. He was one of the founders of theSociety of American Artists , and was its first president.On his return from
Europe he took charge of theArt Students League of New York , and for several years taught in the composition class. He became an associate of the National Academy in 1887, and an academician the following year.References
*Appletons
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