William John Hennessy was born in Ireland. He came to America in 1849 with his mother and brother a year following his father's fleeing their homeland after taking part in the unsuccessful Young Ireland Party uprising. The Hennessys settled in New York, and when young William came of age, he decided upon a career as an artist. At the age of 15, he enrolled at the National Academy of Design, where he learned to draw from the antique, and the following year he was granted admission to the Academy’s life-drawing class.
Hennessy first exhibited at the National Academy in 1857, starting a continuous run of appearances in their annuals that lasted until 1870, when he expatriated himself to Europe. During his time in America, Hennessy was principally known as a genre painter and prolific illustrator for such publications as Harper’s Weekly and a number of books, including illustrated works of William Cullen Bryant, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Alfred Lord Tennyson.
Hennessy left the United States and settled in London, living there and in its environs variously for a few years, and summered in Normandy, where he ultimately established a permanent residence in 1875. In 1893, Hennessy returned to England, but continued to spend a good deal of his time in France. Though the bulk of his career was spent abroad, Hennessy maintained a lifelong identification as an American, and exhibited with other American expatriates in both the Centennial Exposition, Philadelphia, in 1876, and also occasionally sent works to the National Academy’s annual exhibitions.
Few works by Hennessy are known today. From what one can glean from the surviving works, early on in his career, Hennessy appears to have concentrated on genre scenes and Barbizon-influenced landscapes, while in the late 1870s he appears to have adopted an more aestheticized style derived from Whistler and the English Pre-Raphaelites. His later works, from the mid-1890s on, show the strong influence of Impressionism.
Works by Hennessy are in public collections, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Brooklyn Museum, New York; the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut; the National Academy of Design, New York; the Mead Art Museum, Amherst College, Massachusetts; the Century Association, New York; and the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York.
(Biography provided by Hirschl & Adler)
Portrait of the Artist's Daughters, American Impressionism Painting, Signed
By William John Hennessy
Located in PARIS, FR
William John Hennessy Thomastown 1839 - Rudgwick 1917 Portrait of the Artist's Daughters Circa 1880 Oil on canvas mounted on cardboard Signed bottom left 33 x 23.5 cm canvas 44 x ...
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
The Race
By William John Hennessy
Located in New York, NY
William John Hennessy was born in Ireland. He came to America in 1849 with his mother and brother a year after his father had fled their homeland after taking part in the unsuccessful Young Ireland Party uprising. The Hennessys settled in New York, and when young William came of age, he decided upon a career as an artist. At the age of fifteen, he enrolled at the National Academy of Design, where he learned to draw from the antique, and the following year he was granted admission to the Academy’s life-drawing class. Hennessy first exhibited at the National Academy in 1857, starting a continuous run of appearances in their annuals that lasted until 1870, when he expatriated himself to Europe. During his time in America, Hennessy was principally known as a genre painter and prolific illustrator for such publications as Harper’s Weekly and a number of books, including illustrated works of William Cullen Bryant...
Canvas, Oil
"On the Sands, Long Island Sound" William John Hennessy, New York, Irish Artist
By William John Hennessy
Located in New York, NY
William John Hennessy On the Sands, Long Island Sound Signed and dated lower left; signed, dated, and titled on the reverse Oil on canvas 15 1/2 x 22 1/2 inches William John Hennes...
Canvas, Oil
"Local Residents, " Oil painting
By Judd Mercer
Located in Denver, CO
Judd Mercer's (US based) "Local Residents," is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a green grassy pasture where a herd of black cows graze. About the Artist: Judd Mercer is a watercolor painter based in Denver, Colorado. After attending art school for industrial design, Judd pursued a career in digital design and user experience and is co-owner of Elevated Third, a Denver-based digital agency. After committing to writing and illustrating a full-length fantasy novel in his spare time, Judd began watercolor painting around 2014, studying with teachers such as Alvaro Castagnet, Joseph Zbukvic and Herman Pekel...
Canvas, Oil
$1,600
H 25 in W 21 in D 2 in
"Founding Father" George Washington Impressionistic Oil Painting on Canvas
By Cindy Shaoul
Located in New York, NY
This painting depicts an impressionistic and abstract portrait of George Washington. The thick brush strokes and fun marks create an atmosphere reminiscent of the impressionists from...
Canvas, Oil
$1,224
H 18.25 in W 22.25 in D 2 in
Winter Forest Landscape - Antique Oil Painting by 19th Century American Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Winter Forest Landscape - Antique Oil Painting by 19th Century American Artist, Clara Davis Inness (1874-1932) Art measures 20 x 16 inches Frame measures 22.25 x 18.25 inches Oil o...
Oil, Cotton Canvas, Canvas
$9,500
H 25.5 in W 21.5 in D 2 in
“Jamaican Girl by the Palm Tree, c. 1930” American Impressionist Portrait Lyme
By Will Howe Foote
Located in Yardley, PA
“Jamaican Girl by the Palm Tree, c. 1930” by Will Howe Foote (American, 1874-1965) A fantastic portrait of a young Jamaican woman set against a vibrant palm frond, painted by the re...
Oil, Board
$7,500
H 19.5 in W 15.5 in D 1.5 in
“Eastern White Pines, c. 1910”, New England Landscape, Signed Oil Painting
By Charles Warren Eaton
Located in Yardley, PA
“Eastern White Pines, c. 1910” by Charles Warren Eaton (American, 1857-1937). A wonderful example of Eaton’s renowned compositions of Eastern white pine trees in his mature style. A...
Canvas, Oil, Board
Mid Century Native American Portrait
Located in Soquel, CA
Mid century Native American portrait by B. Shepard (American, 20th Century). Signed "B. Shepard" lower middle. Unframed. Currently on a mat, ...
Oil, Cardboard
Portrait of a Girl with Flowers
By Pauline Palmer
Located in Milford, NH
A wonderful oil portrait of a girl with flowers with mottled light by American artist Pauline Lennards Palmer (1867-1938). Born in McHenry, Illinois, Palmer studied at the Art Instit...
Canvas, Oil, Panel
$1,385
H 23.6 in W 35.2 in D 0.5 in
1857 Swedish Romantic Oil Seascape Sailing Fishing Boats Signed by Marcus Larson
Located in Stockholm, SE
This seascape oil painting was created in Paris in 1857 by the renowned Swedish master Simeon Marcus Larson (1825-1864). It dates from the artist's most accomplished period and offer...
Canvas, Wood, Oil
$2,750
H 26 in W 48 in D 1 in
“Penobscot” Ship Portrait Sidewheeler Steamboat Paddle Steamer Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
A wonderful realistic portrait of the Penobscot, a mid-19th century coastal sidewheel steamer, rendered in Cameron’s hallmark marine portrait style - technically meticulous, historically informed, and visually serene. Executed with crisp linework and a soft, luminous palette, the ship is shown in profile navigating calm Atlantic waters under both steam and sail, her red paddle box emblazoned boldly with her name. Commissioned in 1843 by Menemon Sanford’s Steamship Line and constructed in New York, the Penobscot was a near twin to her sister ship, the Kennebec, but became especially prized for her seaworthiness. Measuring 228 feet in length with a 48-foot beam and twin 14-foot paddlewheels, she carried schooner rigging fore and aft, providing the added stability necessary for coastal and offshore passages. Initially assigned to the Maine coastal excursion routes, she would later be reassigned to the elite New York–Philadelphia line and eventually sold and renamed Norfolk for pre-Civil War service along the southern coast. This work is oil on canvas and is signed in the lower right. It is housed in its original black frame and retains the artist’s description of the ship on the reverse. Size: 22 inches tall by 44 inches wide (painting) 26 inches tall by 48 inches wide by 1 inch deep (frame) Provenance: Private collection; Acquired from the above About the artist: A Delaware artist, Scott Cameron paints the simple elegance of the America’s Cup races, serene coastal marsh scenes, timeless landscape vistas and historic steamboats in a style reminiscent of the era in which they reigned. An admirer of Andrew Wyeth and the Brandywine School of painters, Scott has combined the detail and quiet stillness of that School in his landscapes with the Luminist School’s sense of light glowing from within. A soft gentle atmosphere seems to fall over each scene adding to the peacefulness of the setting, and a sense of a time gone by. His America’s Cup scenes capture the action at a moment in time, allowing the beauty of the wind-filled sails to become the central design element of each painting. Scott Cameron has exhibited his oil paintings in numerous national and regional shows from the Mystic Seaport Museum to solo and group shows in some of the foremost galleries throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. Favorite painting locations are the waterways and coastal inlets of Martha’s Vineyard and Maryland’s Eastern Shore and the gentle rolling landscapes of rural Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. Meticulous research is behind every historic steamboat and America’s Cup painting...
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
"Looking for Breakfast", Oil Painting
By Christopher Clark
Located in Denver, CO
Christopher Clark's (US based) "Looking for Breakfast" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a bird perched in a flooded grassy field. Bio/artist statement: Christopher has been an artist since early childhood, when he would watch Bob Ross on PBS and mimic the famed oil painter’s art with crayons. He considers himself a self-educated artist, with his studies ranging from personal training with contemporary masters, to classical academic art technique, with much inspiration from 19th Century art and the Impressionist Movement. Christopher lived in Italy for a time, immersing himself in Italian culture and art, which continues to influence his painting. His fan base has grown considerably since his return to the US, gaining the attention of Lucasfilm and Marvel Fine Art, which both signed him as an officially licensed artist in 2016. Other clients include George Lucas, Major League Baseball, Louisville Slugger...
Canvas, Oil
$13,200Sale Price|20% Off
H 12 in W 9 in
Girl with Braided Hair, Raphael Soyer
By Raphael Soyer
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Raphael Soyer (1899-1987) Title: Girl with Braided Hair Year: Circa 1947 Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 12 x 9 inches; framed size, 19 x 16 inches Condition: Excellent Inscripti...
Canvas, Oil