The work of American realist painter and illustrator Charles Edward Chambers is characterized by such an exceptional mastery of color and composition that, in his day, his refined figurative paintings may have fooled collectors into thinking he was a graduate of the Académie des Beaux-Arts.
Born in 1883 in Ottumwa, Iowa, Chambers studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League of New York under Canadian-American painter George Bridgman. Another of his teachers was illustrator Fanny Munsell (later his wife), who influenced his style and technique. Munsell secured illustration work for a range of magazines, including Cosmopolitan and Women’s Home Companion, before she died in 1920.
Chambers learned to modify his painting technique so that his work was primed for reproduction on a mass scale. He gained recognition as a classical figurative painter and illustrator during World War I when, in 1917, he illustrated a well-known poster for the U.S. Food Administration titled Food Will Win The War. He was also a regular contributor as an illustrator at the time to Harper’s Monthly and created covers for Redbook magazine.
Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Chambers kept busy with editorial assignments and advertising campaigns. While it’s true that Art Nouveau posters were plastered everywhere along the streets of Paris during the early years of the Belle Époque, poster art continued to remain very relevant in the Art Deco years, too. While creating illustrations for authors such as Pearl Buck, W. Somerset Maugham, Faith Baldwin and Louis Bromfield, Chambers earned advertising commissions from the decades’ prominent companies and brands. These included painting portraits of famous musicians Sergei Rachmaninoff, Alfred Cortot and Ignacy Jan Paderewski for Steinway & Sons and designing billboard ads and posters for cigarette company Chesterfield and soap manufacturer Palmolive.
Today, Chambers’s works remain favorites among collectors of vintage 20th-century art.
Find original Charles Edward Chambers paintings and prints on 1stDibs.
Story illustration for “Appearance and Reality” by Somerset Maugham
By Charles E. Chambers
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Story illustration for “Appearance and Reality” by W. Somerset Maugham, published in Cosmopolitan, November 1934, pages 22-23. Described as "A masterfully witty story of manners and...
Canvas, Oil
Family Escape
By Charles E. Chambers
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Date: 1917 Medium: Oil on Board Dimensions: 32.00" x 21.00" Signature: Signed Lower Right Story illustration: Group of people gathered around seated old woman. “Isn't it quite as i...
Oil, Board
She Answers The Question
By Charles E. Chambers
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Image of two men standing in front of woman seated at desk. Charles Edward Chambers was born in Ottumwa, Iowa, studied at the Chicago Art Institute, and later the Art Students Lea...
Canvas, Oil
“Wang the Tiger had his own port…” Story illustration for Sons by Pearl S. Buck
By Charles E. Chambers
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Date: 1932 Medium: Oil on Canvas Dimensions: 24.00" x 33.00" Signature: Signed Lower Left Story illustration for “Sons” by Pearl S. Buck, published in Cosmopolitan, October 1932, pages 66-67. "Sons" serves as the poignant sequel to Buck's story The Good Earth...
Canvas, Oil
"Ringmaster"
By Charles E. Chambers
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Story illustration, image of man on couch, woman in chair writing Charles Edward Chambers was born in Ottumwa, Iowa, studied at the Chicago Art Institute, and later the Art Students League in New York with George Bridgman. His illustrations were extremely skillful, marked by subtlety of value and color. He early learned to adapt his method of painting for the best possible reproduction, and to insure fidelity of printing, he often followed the assignments through to the hands of the engraver who made the plates. Chambers divided his time almost equally between editorial and advertising assignments. Among his advertising commissions was an outstanding series of portraits of musicians for Steinway & Sons. His distinctive illustrations for billboards, notably for Chesterfield and Palmolive Soap...
Canvas, Oil
$14,800Sale Price|20% Off
“I was playing Chopin, with an ache in my heart.” Illustration for Harper’s Mag
By Charles E. Chambers
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Story illustration for “The High Cost of Conscience” by Beatrice Witt Ravenel for Harper’s Magazine, published January 1919. Year: 1918 Dimensions: 30.00" x 21.00", Framed 35.5" x ...
Canvas, Oil
Couple with Chauffeur
By Charles E. Chambers
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Couple in a car with a Chauffeur Signed lower left. Charles Edward Chambers was born in Ottumwa, Iowa, studied at the Chicago Art Institute, and later the Art Students League in ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,250
H 17 in W 25 in D 2 in
Vintage Oil Painting "Strings and Brass" Symphony Oil Painting c.1989
Located in San Francisco, CA
Vintage Oil Painting "Strings and Brass" Symphony Oil Painting c.1989 Original oil on canvas Canvas dimensions 24" wide x 16" high The simple maple frame measures 25" wide x 17" h...
Canvas, Oil
$620Sale Price|20% Off
H 34 in W 28 in D 2 in
Antique American School Signed Modernist Woman Portrait Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Nicely painted American modernist interior portrait oil painting. Framed. Oil on canvas. Signed. Image size, 28H by 22L.
Canvas, Oil
$2,645
H 13.78 in W 10.63 in
Circle Teniers, Flemish Art, Peasants smoking and drinking in a Tavern Interior
By David Teniers the Younger
Located in Greven, DE
Circle or Follower of David Teniers, Peasant in a Tavern Inn, drinking and smoking. Oil on canvas, Framed: 39 x 47 cm. Typical Flemish Baroque Interior...
Canvas, Oil
$800
H 8 in W 8 in D 0.8 in
Nude Model Figurative Impressionism Original oil Painting, Ready to Hang
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Vadim Zang Title: Nude - Model Medium: Oil on Linen Year: 2007 Style: Portrait Impressionism Dimensions: 8" x 8" x 0.8" inch (20 x 20 x 2cm) Presentation: Unframed, Gallery ...
Canvas, Linen, Oil
$1,750
H 60 in W 48 in D 2 in
"Gold Butterfly" original oil on canvas large painting by Steve McElroy
By Steve McElroy
Located in Dallas, TX
"Gold Butterfly" oil on canvas original oil painting by known artist Steve McElroy. This large painting is 48 x 60 inches. Signed front and back. Search Steve McElroy's name for ...
Canvas, Oil
$4,500
H 31.5 in W 39 in D 2.5 in
“Quebec City, 1853” Panoramic Landscape View, Cityscape, Canada Signed Oil
By Edmund C. Coates
Located in Yardley, PA
“Quebec City, 1853” by Edmund C. Coates (American, 1816-1871). A luminous 19th-century view of Quebec City by the American painter Edmund C. Coates, known for his detailed Hudson Ri...
Canvas, Oil
$3,776
H 31.5 in W 23.63 in
LADY READING - French School - Figurative Italian Oil on canvas painting
By Giovanni Santaniello
Located in Napoli, IT
Lady Reading - Figurative oil on canvas painting cm.100x80, Giovanni Santaniell, Italy 2002 In this painting, Giovanni Santaniello drew inspiration from ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,180Sale Price|20% Off
H 38 in W 30 in D 2 in
Antique American School Early Impressionist Family Portrait Rare Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Wonderful American school impressionist family portrait oil painting. Oil on canvas. Image size, 38H by 30L.
Canvas, Oil
“Cityscape”
By Lee Reynolds
Located in Southampton, NY
Original oil and acrylic painting on canvas of a contemporary cityscape.. Signed Lee Reynolds lower right. Vanguard Studio label verso. Circa 1975. Condition is excellent. The pain...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$4,049
H 11 in W 15 in
La Corbeille de Fruits - Modern Still Life Oil Painting by André Hambourg
By André Hambourg
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed oil on canvas still life circa 1960 by French modernist painter Andre Hambourg. This beautiful piece depicts a basket of fruit; grapes, pears and apples, placed on a white clo...
Canvas, Oil
$3,650
H 18.5 in W 16.5 in D 3 in
Pair of 19th Century "Gambling" Oil Paintings After Adriaen van Ostade
Located in San Francisco, CA
Pair of 19th Century "Gambling" Oil Paintings After Adriaen van Ostade Each painting shows men gambling in a cellar Original oil on canvas Dimensions 10" wide x 12" high The orna...
Canvas, Oil
$1,196Sale Price|20% Off
H 32 in W 38 in D 2 in
Vintage American Modernist Abstract Interior Scene Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist interior scene oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed.
Canvas, Oil
Elderly Couple
By Charles E. Chambers
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Signature: Signed Lower Left Framed: 36.00" x 41.00"
Canvas, Oil
Couple Parting on Porch in Snow
By Charles E. Chambers
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Date: 1915 Medium: Oil on Canvas Dimensions: 30.00" x 21.00" Signature: Signed Lower Right Couple parting on porch in snow. “They had formed a little code of leave-taking” Story illustration: “The Turmoil”, author: Booth Tarkington...
Canvas, Oil