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Earl Horter Art

American, 1881-1940

Earl Horter was born in 1881 in Germantown, Pennsylvania and was known for his realistic etchings and aquatints of urban scenes, though he was also an illustrator and painter. As a teenager, he engraved stock certificates. He was essentially self-taught, though he did take an etching class when he moved to New York City in 1903 to work for an advertising agency. Horter had a one-man show in 1916 in New York City at the Frederick Keppel and Company gallery. He was given the exhibition by Carl Zigrosser, later the first Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Museum of Modern Art. Horter was back in Philadelphia in 1917, where he would remain until his death in 1940. He worked there as an art director for the N. W. Ayer advertising firm from 1917–23. Horter was a member of the Society of Illustrators. He exhibited at the Pan American Exposition in 1915 in San Francisco, California; the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois; and the Philadelphia Print Club's National Exhibition of Prints; as well as Corcoran Gallery biennials from 1935–39, in Washington, D.C. Horter is listed in Mantle Fielding's Dictionary of American Artists, Who Was Who in American Art and Mallett's Index of Artists. Though not a man of extraordinary means, Horter was a lover of modernist art, which he gradually purchased, creating an important collection, well ahead of its time in America, of Cubist and Precisionist works, as well as African sculpture and Native American artifacts. Horter collected include Europeans Picasso, Braque, Duchamp and Brancusi and Americans Charles Sheeler and Arthur B. Carles. He was a friend of Carles, as well as other artists and collectors such as Leopold Stokowski, conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra; Franklin Watkins; S. S. White; and Carroll Tyson. Horter turned a Philadelphia brownstone into a studio and gallery to house his collection, aided by Paul Cret, the designer of the Barnes Foundation and Rodin Museum. By 1931, Horter would begin selling his collection due to financial need brought about by the Depression. Horter was also a teacher in Philadelphia at the Stella Elkins Tyler School of Art; Graphic Sketch Club (now the Fleisher Art Memorial); and the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art (now the University of the Arts). In 1998, the Philadelphia Museum of Art put on an exhibition, “Mad for Modernism,” Horter and his collection, assembling once again many of the major works of art that comprised the artist's collection. In 1934, the Museum, then called the Pennsylvania Museum, had previously exhibited Horter's collection, though some of the works had already been sold. Several of Horter's prints are in the collection of Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C.

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Artist: Earl Horter
'Woolworth Building Under Construction' — Early 20th Century Modernism
'Woolworth Building Under Construction' — Early 20th Century Modernism

'Woolworth Building Under Construction' — Early 20th Century Modernism

By Earl Horter

Located in Myrtle Beach, SC

Earl Horter, 'The Woolworth Building Under Construction', etching, c. 1912, edition not stated. Signed in pencil. A fine, richly-inked impression, in warm black ink, with selectively...

Category

1910s American Modern Earl Horter Art

Materials

Etching

Three Cubist Still Life Studies by Philadelphia Artist and Collector Earl Horter
Three Cubist Still Life Studies by Philadelphia Artist and Collector Earl Horter

Three Cubist Still Life Studies by Philadelphia Artist and Collector Earl Horter

By Earl Horter

Located in Philadelphia, PA

Earl Horter (American, 1883-1940) Three Still Life Studies Pencil on paper, 7 1/4 x 13 1/2 inches; Framed: 17 x 21 inches NOTE: while originally mounted with archival materials, the...

Category

Early 20th Century Cubist Earl Horter Art

Materials

Paper, Pencil

Still Life
Still Life

Still Life

By Earl Horter

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Best known as an impassioned supporter and avid collector of modern art, Earl Horter was also an artist himself. Largely self-taught, Horter was a highly skilled draftsman and engrav...

Category

1930s American Modern Earl Horter Art

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Dark House Etching by Earl Horter, American Modern, Signed, 1930s
Dark House Etching by Earl Horter, American Modern, Signed, 1930s

Dark House Etching by Earl Horter, American Modern, Signed, 1930s

By Earl Horter

Located in New Orleans, LA

Dark House is a soft-ground etching with aquatint signed in pencil by the artist. This image is in the collection of the Detroit Institute of the Arts Printmaker Earl Horter, born in 1881 in Germantown, Pennsylvania, was known for his realistic etchings and aquatints of urban scenes, though he was also an illustrator and painter. As a teenager, he engraved stock certificates. He was essentially self-taught, though he did take an etching class when he moved to New York City in 1903 to work for an advertising agency. Horter had a one-man show in 1916 in New York City at the Frederick Keppel and Company gallery. He was given the exhibition by Carl Zigrosser, later the first Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Museum of Modern Art. Horter was back in Philadelphia in 1917, where he would remain until his death in 1940. He worked there as art director for the N. W. Ayer advertising firm from 1917-1923. Horter was a member of the Society of Illustrators. He exhibited at the Pan American Exposition in 1915 in San Francisco, California; the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois; and the Philadelphia Print Club's National Exhibition of Prints; as well as Corcoran Gallery biennials from 1935 to 1939, in Washington, D.C. Horter is listed in "Mantle Fielding's Dictionary of American Artists"; "Who Was Who in American Art"; and Mallett's "Index of Artists". Though not a man of extraordinary means, Horter was a lover of modernist art, which he gradually purchased, creating an important collection, well ahead of its time in America, of Cubist and Precisionist works, as well as African sculpture and Native American artifacts. Artists Horter collected include Europeans Picasso, Braque, Duchamp and Brancusi, and Americans Charles Sheeler and Arthur B. Carles. He was a friend of Carles, as well as other artists and collectors such as Leopold Stokowski, conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra; Franklin Watkins; S. S. White; and Carroll Tyson...

Category

1930s American Modern Earl Horter Art

Materials

Etching

CHURCH IN SNOW
CHURCH IN SNOW

CHURCH IN SNOW

By Earl Horter

Located in Portland, ME

Horter, Earl (American, 1881-1940). UNTITLED (CHURCH IN SNOW). Etching and aquatint, not dated. Signed in pencil, lower right. 6 1/4 x 5 inches (plate), 11 x 8 5/8 inches (sheet). An...

Category

Mid-20th Century Earl Horter Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

NEW YORK CITYSCAPE

NEW YORK CITYSCAPE

By Earl Horter

Located in Portland, ME

Horter, Earl. NEW YORK CITYSCAPE. Etching, not dated. Edition size not known. Printed on heavy laid paper, and signed in pencil. 6 1/2 x 6 1/8 inche...

Category

Mid-20th Century Earl Horter Art

Materials

Etching

In the Harbor
In the Harbor

In the Harbor

By Earl Horter

Located in Wiscasset, ME

Born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, Earl Horter was a self-taught artist who began his career working in New York City as a draftsman at an advertising agenc...

Category

1920s Modern Earl Horter Art

Materials

Aquatint

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Previously Available Items
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Archway, with Newsstand. (France).
Archway, with Newsstand. (France).

Archway, with Newsstand. (France).

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Dark House (Philadelphia).
Dark House (Philadelphia).

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Dark House (Philadelphia).

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c. 1932. Aquatint. 10 1/4 x 11 (sheet 12 5/8 x 15 1/2). A rich impression printed with plate tone on countermarked French wove paper. Unsigned; annotated 'Dark House (Aqua)' in Horter's hand. Another impression is in the Library of Congress. Housed in a 16 x 20-inch archival mat, suitable for framing. Earl Horter...

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Ponte Fabricio, Rome.
Ponte Fabricio, Rome.

Ponte Fabricio, Rome.

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Aquatint printed in colors. 6 1/4 x 5 5/8 (sheet 9 3/4 x 7). A rich, tonal impression printed on cream wove paper. Signed in pencil. Earl Horter was born in 1881 in Germantown, Pe...

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Mount Vernon - Rear.
Mount Vernon - Rear.

Mount Vernon - Rear.

By Earl Horter

Located in Plano, TX

Mount Vernon - Rear. c. 1930. Etching. 8 5/8 x 11 1/2 (sheet 11 1/4 x 15 5/8). Series: Historic Homes of Virginia A fine impression printed on cream wove paper, on the full sheet with deckle edges. Signed in pencil. Earl Horter...

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New York Waterfront

Earl HorterNew York Waterfront

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Earl Horter art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Earl Horter art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Earl Horter in etching, aquatint, paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Earl Horter art, so small editions measuring 5 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Bertram Goodman, Louis Conrad Rosenberg, and Richard Florsheim. Earl Horter art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $160 and tops out at $680, while the average work can sell for $300.

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