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.
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
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
$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
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
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
“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
$6,185
H 10.63 in W 18.31 in
Portrait of a naked woman after a card play
Located in BELEYMAS, FR
Pierre-Albert BÉGAUD (Bordeaux 1901 – 1956) End of game Oil on canvas H. 27 cm; L. 46.5 cm Signed lower right Pierre-Albert Bégaud is a French portrait and landscape painter born in...
Oil, Canvas
Wine Bottles and Fruit on Table
By Zygmund Jankowski
Located in Gloucester, MA
Zygmund Jankowski (1925–2009) painted traditional subjects with exuberant irreverence for traditional rules of color, composition, and perspective. He disparaged imitation and deligh...
Canvas, Oil
$18,000
H 25 in W 32 in
NYC Cafe WPA American Scene Social Realism Regionalism Modernism Woman Artist
Located in New York, NY
NYC Cafe WPA American Scene Social Realism Regionalism Modernism Woman Artist Dorothy Eaton (1893-1968) New York City Cafe Scene, 1931. 20 x 29 inches ...
Canvas, Oil
$22,910
H 21.46 in W 18.12 in
Presumed Portrait of Jean-Jacques-Blaise Baloin de Belvèse, Baron de Vennac
Located in BELEYMAS, FR
Marianne Loir (Paris 1705 – Paris 1783) Presumed Portrait of Jean-Jacques-Blaise Baloin de Belvèse, Baron de Vennac (?-1781) Oil on oval canvas H. 54.5 cm; W. 46 cm Unsigned Grandda...
Canvas, Oil
$2,233
H 31.5 in W 31.5 in D 0.79 in
Summer 2 - Contemporary Expressive, Figurative Oil Painting, Male Nude Series
By Bartosz Kolata
Located in Hallein, AT
Bartosz Kolata was born in Torun, Poland in 1979. In 2006 he graduated in Art Conservation and Restoration from Nicolas Copernicus University UMK, secur...
Canvas, Oil
$450
H 42.92 in W 27.56 in D 0.04 in
Georgian Contemporary Art by Keta Jikia - Untitled 10
By Keta Jikia
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil, charcoal & ink on cardboard Keta Jikia is a Georgian artist born in 2002 who lives and works in Tbilisi, Georgia. She is graduated in 2025 with a degree in International Relati...
Oil, Ink, Cardboard
Balloons over Manhattan
By Shay Kun
Located in Jerusalem, IL
A beautiful painting by Israeli artist Shay Kun. Featuring a colorful display of hot air balloons floating above Manhattan.
Canvas, Oil
$500
H 9.85 in W 13.78 in D 1.19 in
Armenian Contemporary Art by Kamsar Ohanyan - Sunny Room
By Kamsar Ohanyan
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas
Canvas, Oil
$600
H 12 in W 10 in D 1 in
Portrait of Artist with Elmo, colorful childhood theme w ironic twist
By Jenny Toth
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This is an oil painting done from life with the artist's young son''s large stuffed red Elmo in repose in front of the mirror. The painting is both tender and bold. It captures one...
Cotton Canvas, Oil
$25,212
H 23.63 in W 28.75 in
Portrait of a Newfoundland dog, William Smith, British Painting, 1838, Pets Art
Located in Greven, DE
The works of William Smith were regularly exhibited at the Royal Academy in London between 1813 and 1859. Yet little is known about this artist. He lived in Shropshire and was active...
Canvas, Oil
$550
H 39.38 in W 29.14 in D 0.04 in
Georgian Contemporary Art by Keta Jikia - Margarita
By Keta Jikia
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil, charcoal & ink on cardboard Keta Jikia is a Georgian artist born in 2002 who lives and works in Tbilisi, Georgia. She is graduated in 2025 with a degree in International Relati...
Oil, Ink, Cardboard
$550
H 29.14 in W 39.38 in D 0.04 in
Georgian Contemporary Art by Keta Jikia - Untitled 12
By Keta Jikia
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil, charcoal on cardboard Keta Jikia is a Georgian artist born in 2002 who lives and works in Tbilisi, Georgia. She is graduated in 2025 with a degree in International Relations f...
Ink, Oil, Cardboard
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