A Life in Watercolor
Born in 1828 in Watertown, Massachusetts, Ellen Robbins was the youngest child of a factory owner. Following the death of her father and the subsequent burning of his factory, Robbins turned to watercolor painting to help support her family. While she received some training from Stephen Salisbury Tuckerman, she was largely self-taught. Her skill in botanical illustration became widely recognized, particularly for her paintings of wildflowers and autumn leaves. Her work was noted for its realism; contemporary accounts suggested her flowers were so lifelike that bees might land upon them, and her leaf paintings were occasionally mistaken for actual leaves.
Robbins's success allowed her to expand her artistic reach beyond individual paintings. She produced books of flower illustrations and created botanical designs for various mediums, including china, furniture, tiles, and textiles. In the 1840s, she also began teaching watercolor painting. Her reputation grew to the point that she was hired by the lithographer Louis Prang to create a series of flowers and autumn leaves for prints. Additionally, she was invited to create a frieze for Wellesley College.
Artistic Legacy and Travels
Throughout her career, Robbins's work became fashionable in both America and England. She was a contributor to the first annual exhibition of the American Watercolor Society in 1867/1868. Her travels often took her abroad or to Maine, where she stayed at Appledore House and painted the flowers from the garden of the writer Celia Thaxter. In 1896, she shared reflections on her life through a series of articles in New England Magazine titled "Reminiscences of a Flower Painter."
Her published works include:
- Autumnal Leaves (1868, 18 watercolors)
Vraag en antwoord
Hoe vind ik werken van Ellen Robbins in een specifiek kleurenpalet?
De werken van Ellen Robbins kunnen op basis van kleurpalet worden bekeken op de Op kleurpalet pagina van de kunstenaar.
Waar kan ik statistieken vinden over de werken van Ellen Robbins?
Statistieken over de werken van Ellen Robbins zijn te vinden op de Statistieken-pagina van de kunstenaar.
Hoe vind ik werken van Ellen Robbins met een specifiek thema?
Op de Op trefwoorden-pagina van Ellen Robbins worden de kunstwerken van de kunstenaar gegroepeerd op basis van trefwoorden.
Hoe heeft de kunst van Ellen Robbins zich in de loop der tijd ontwikkeld?
Een chronologisch overzicht van het werk van Ellen Robbins is te vinden op de Loopbaanoverzicht pagina van de kunstenaar, waar de kunstwerken hoofdstuk voor hoofdstuk in volgorde van creatie worden gepresenteerd.
