Bidspirit auction | Howard Russell Butler (1856 -

Howard Russell Butler (1856 - 1934) American - Howard Russell Butler (1856 - 1934) Pastel on paper, signed lower left, piece measures 8.5 x 10.5 and 14.5 x 16.5 inches w/frame. The first president and founder of the American Fine Arts Society, Howard Russell Butler was elected to the National Academy of Design in 1902. He was especially known for his paintings of landscapes and solar eclipses.Butler was born in New York City and studied at Princeton and Columbia Universities. In 1877, when he graduated from Princeton, Butler received from his father the graduation gift of a train trip West to California. He and three classmates went on the adventure, which included an excursion to Yosemite where they visited with John Muir. From this time, Butler had an ongoing fascination with the West.In 1882, he graduated from law school at Columbia University and practiced in New York City, but was unhappy with that career and turned to the development of his painting talents. In 1884, he and Frederick E Church opened a studio in Mexico. He then studied at the Art Students League, and was also in Paris where he became active in the American artist colony. Focusing primarily on color and light, he painted in the French countryside in loose, impressionistic style, and one of his painting companions was John Singer Sargent. By 1886, he was receiving honorable mention at the Paris Salon.By 1908, he had done paintings of the California Coast, which he exhibited at the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy. From 1905 to 1907, and from 1921 to 1926, he lived in California, both Pasadena and Santa Barbara. In 1907, he produced a painting titled Arizona Badlands, which was a result of his earlier travels into the desert of that state. The Tucson Museum has a large collection of his desert pastels, many which were painted in the Mojave Desert of California.In 1911, he moved to Princeton where he remained as a resident and had his studio. As part of his career, he became supervisor of astronomy exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History. In 1918, he was on the US Naval Observatory Expedition to Baker, Oregon, to paint the June 8 Solar Eclipse; in 1923, he painted the solar eclipse at Lampoc, California; and in 1925, he painted the eclipse at Middletown, Connecticut. Condition: The absence of a condition report does not imply an object is free of defects. All items may have normal signs of age and wear commensurate with their age; these issues will likely not be mentioned in the condition report. Please contact the auction house before the auction with any condition questions. Questions about condition will not be answered after purchase. Condition reports are provided as a courtesy, and we are not responsible for any errors or omissions. Important note on frames: Frames are not guaranteed to be in the same condition as they are in the item photograph. Due to handling and shipping, many frames, especially antique ones, are prone to losses. If you have questions about the condition of a frame, please contact us prior to the auction.