Skip to main content

Walter Shirlaw Portrait Paintings

American, 1838-1909
Walter Shirlaw, born in 1838, was only three when he came to Hoboken, New Jersey from Paisley, Scotland. As a young man, he found work as a bank note engraver, a profession that he continued in Chicago, where he lived between 1865 and 1870. But already in 1861 he was exhibiting genre paintings at the National Academy of Design. In 1868, Shirlaw was a member of the Chicago Academy of Design, which would become the Art Institute of Chicago, after changing its name from the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. Shirlaw spent the years 1870-77 in Munich, at the height of the movement led by Wilhelm Leibl in which a low-keyed, dark palette, combined with bold, virtuoso brushwork, were applied to realist subject matter. Michael Quick defined the time of Shirlaw's arrival as an especially experimental period in progressive German painting. Shirlaw's teachers, however, sided with tradition. The genre painter Arthur Ramberg and Wilhelm von Lindenschmidt, his successor at the Munich Academy, taught Shirlaw composition. The painter of genre scenes and landscapes, Alexander von Wagner was Shirlaw's teacher in painting. T. H. Bartlett mentioned that Shirlaw regarded Leibl as too realistic. In 1877, the second school year of the Art Students League, Lemuel E. Wilmarth announced that he would be returning to teach at the NAD. Frank Waller took over as president of the ASL, and Shirlaw was hired to teach painting and drawing. The appointment was endorsed by Waller. The hiring of Shirlaw and William Merritt Chase seemed to signify a preference of Munich over Paris among the members of the Art Students League, however, while Chase was under Leibl's spell, Shirlaw was strictly academic. During the fourth season at the ASL, Shirlaw taught composition. Thomas Wilmer Dewing replaced Shirlaw in this position in 1880. Although an Associate of the National Academy of Design, Shirlaw resigned, explaining that the Academy was too much focused on exhibitions, at the expense of teaching. He turned to the Society of American Artists, a more liberal group founded in June of 1877. Shirlaw himself, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and Wyatt Eaton were the artists-founders of the SAA. Within a year, there were twenty-two members. This new, mostly younger group of painters collectively expressed more liberal aesthetic tastes, compared to the less progressive members of the National Academy. Doll and Richards Gallery in Boston was the setting for Shirlaw's one-man exhibition in 1880. Meanwhile, he was active as an illustrator. The artist published drawings in Scribner's Monthly and Harper's Magazine, and did illustrations for various books. In 1889, Shirlaw visited Crow and Cheyenne reservations to illustrate scenes from the life of these tribes. He was also a muralist and a designer of stained-glass windows. He executed Sciences, a mural for the Library of Congress. Walter Shirlaw was an American artist who helped the younger painters promote French impressionism, by founding the Society of American Artists.
to
1
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
252
103
81
75
1
1
Artist: Walter Shirlaw
Portrait of William Merritt Chase
By Walter Shirlaw
Located in Douglas, Isle of Man
Attributed to Walter Shirlaw 1838-1909, was a Scottish born American painter who lived in America from the age of two years old. Shirlaw studied in Munich where he befriended America...
Category

Early 1900s Walter Shirlaw Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Related Items
MEJOR SOLAS
By Sofia Ruiz
Located in Los Angeles, CA
"MEJOR SOLAS" OIL AND ACRILIC ON CANVAS SIGNED AND DATED 2010 EXHIBITED MUSEO DEL BANCO CENTRAL DE COSTA RICA 47.5 X 59 INCHES Sofía Ruiz was born in ...
Category

2010s Surrealist Walter Shirlaw Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

MEJOR SOLAS
$7,500
H 47.5 in W 59 in D 4 in
"Portrait of Rebecca" Harriet Peale, Early American Female Portrait
By Harriet Cany Peale
Located in New York, NY
Harriet Peale Portrait of Rebecca, 1840 Inscribed verso, “Portrait of Rebecca Greenwood (?)/ Aged 25 years/ Painted by Harriet C. Cany/ May 1840” Oil on canvas 28 3/4 x 23 3/4 inches...
Category

1840s Academic Walter Shirlaw Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait Of A Noblewoman. Attributed To Carlo Ceresa. About 1640.
By Carlo Ceresa
Located in Firenze, IT
Portrait of a noblewoman. Attributed to Carlo Ceresa. (1609 - 1679, Bergamo) Oil on canvas. Size cm 110x86,5cm with frame Around 1640. This portrait depicts a middle-aged woman with great realism, typical of Lombard and Bergamo painters in particular. Carlo Ceresa, probable author of this unsigned painting, had studied with Daniele Crespi...
Category

Mid-17th Century Baroque Walter Shirlaw Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait Of A Noblewoman. Attributed To Carlo Ceresa. About 1640.
Portrait Of A Noblewoman. Attributed To Carlo Ceresa. About 1640.
$2,697 Sale Price
43% Off
H 43.31 in W 34.06 in D 1.58 in
I Used to Dream - Original Figurative Vibrant Mixed Media Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rooted in introspection and emotional nuance, Xenia Gray’s figurative mixed media works capture the quiet tension between solitude and connection. Her paintings often depict the huma...
Category

2010s Contemporary Walter Shirlaw Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Oil, Acrylic

Antique Italian painter - 18th century figure painting
Located in Varmo, IT
Italian painter (18th century) - Chrono. 90.5 x 106 cm. Antique oil painting on canvas, without frame (not signed). Condition report: Lined canvas. Good state of conservation of t...
Category

Early 18th Century Old Masters Walter Shirlaw Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antique Italian painter - 18th century figure painting
Antique Italian painter - 18th century figure painting
$4,728 Sale Price
20% Off
H 35.63 in W 41.74 in
19th century English portrait of a White/grey hunter in a stable
By Charles Towne
Located in Woodbury, CT
English 19th century portrait of a White / Grey hunter in a stable. Charles Towne was born in Wigan in 1763. He was trained as a coach painter, and by ...
Category

1820s Old Masters Walter Shirlaw Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

1945 Portrait of Bessy Lyon by Hayes Lyon, Mid-Century American Oil Painting
By Hayes Lyon
Located in Denver, CO
This captivating 1945 oil portrait by renowned American artist Hayes Lyon beautifully depicts Bessy Lyon, the artist’s wife, in a warm and intimate composition. Rendered with soft ye...
Category

1940s American Modern Walter Shirlaw Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Portrait Of Elizabeth Campbell & Daughter, Wife Of Colonel Colin Campbell
Located in Blackwater, GB
Portrait Of Elizabeth Campbell & Daughter, Wife Of Colonel Colin Campbell circle of Margaret Carpenter (1793-1872) Large 19th Century English portrait of Elizabeth Campbell & Daughter, oil on canvas. Seated half length mother and daughter portrait of the wife of Colonel Colin Campbell. Good quality similar to Margaret Carpenters...
Category

19th Century Walter Shirlaw Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Abstract Expressionist Portrait--Blonde With Golden Earring
Located in Soquel, CA
Abstract expressionist portrait of a blonde woman with a gold earring by Harvey C. Parks (American, b. 1948 - 2107), 1980. This is a compelling example of Park's abstract expressionist portraiture that shows the hallmarks of his emotionally resonant and stylized portraiture. The sitter’s elongated features, stark contrasts, and muted yet moody palette Medium: Oil on canvas Signed and dated "Parks '80" Condition: Good; minor missing paint (lower edge) retouched. Image size: 20"H x 16"W. Presented in painted wood frame of the period Canvas size: 20"H x 16"W Framed size: 24"H x 20"W Harvey Parks...
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Walter Shirlaw Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Realist Italian painter - 19th century figure painting - Male Portrait
Located in Varmo, IT
Italian painter (19th century) - Portrait of a gentleman with a book. 92 x 71 cm. Antique oil painting on canvas, without frame (not signed). Condition report: Lined canvas. Good ...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Walter Shirlaw Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Düsseldorf school 1902 - Portrait of Sisterly love - German portrait
Located in Aartselaar, BE
Sweet and large oil painting "Sisterly love" signed and dated 1902 by August Algermissen The present painting depicts two sisters seated in an interior, the youngest is gleefully lo...
Category

Early 20th Century Romantic Walter Shirlaw Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Erica #1
Located in Denver, CO
Dave Seeley's (US based) "Erica #1" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a reclining nude model on a black couch with a white sheet. Dave Seeley is a figure painter l...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Walter Shirlaw Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Erica #1
Erica #1
$5,040 Sale Price
20% Off
H 24 in W 36 in D 1 in

Walter Shirlaw portrait paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Walter Shirlaw portrait paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Walter Shirlaw in oil paint, paint and more. Not every interior allows for large Walter Shirlaw portrait paintings, so small editions measuring 25 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Michele Mikesell, Katherine Fraser, and John Goodman. Walter Shirlaw portrait paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $6,130 and tops out at $6,130, while the average work can sell for $6,130.

Recently Viewed

View All