Maud Earl
Encyclopedia
Maud Alice Earl was an eminent British-American canine painter. Her works are much enjoyed by dog enthusiasts and also accurately record many breeds.
Earl was born in London
, the daughter of artist George Earl
and his first wife Alice Beaumont Rawlins. Maud's profession was the continuation of a family tradition. Her father George, her uncle Thomas Earl and her half brother Percy Earl were also animal painters of note. George Earl, an avid sportsman and noted sporting painter, was his daughter’s first teacher and had his daughter study the anatomy of her subjects, drawing dog, horse and human skeletons to improve her skill. She later said that her father’s instruction had given her ability that set her apart from other dog painters. After her father's tutelage Maud went on to study at Royal Female School of Art (later incorporated into the Central School of Art).
Earl exhibited around twelve works at the Royal Academy
starting with a stag painting Early Morning in 1884. She also exhibited at the Royal Society of British Artists
. In 1897 Earl had an exhibition in which she showed paintings of 48 different breeds of dog.
Earl became famous during the Victorian Era
, a time when women were not expected to make their living at painting. Nevertheless, she developed a select clientele, including Royals amongst her patrons such as Queen Victoria
and Queen Alexandra. Although evidently extremely successful in England, Earl felt that the world she knew had been destroyed by World War I and she emigrated to New York City in 1916. By this time her work had received wide international recognition and her popular images were published in a number of books and in print form. The Sportsman's Year featured twelve of Earl's works as engravings.
Maud Earl died in New York in 1943 and is buried at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
in Sleepy Hollow, New York
.
Earl was born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the daughter of artist George Earl
George Earl
George Earl was a painter, primarily of sporting dogs and other animals. He was also the father of Maud Earl and Percy Earl, and the brother of Thomas Earl, all three of whom were also animal artists....
and his first wife Alice Beaumont Rawlins. Maud's profession was the continuation of a family tradition. Her father George, her uncle Thomas Earl and her half brother Percy Earl were also animal painters of note. George Earl, an avid sportsman and noted sporting painter, was his daughter’s first teacher and had his daughter study the anatomy of her subjects, drawing dog, horse and human skeletons to improve her skill. She later said that her father’s instruction had given her ability that set her apart from other dog painters. After her father's tutelage Maud went on to study at Royal Female School of Art (later incorporated into the Central School of Art).
Earl exhibited around twelve works at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
starting with a stag painting Early Morning in 1884. She also exhibited at the Royal Society of British Artists
Royal Society of British Artists
The Royal Society of British Artists is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy.-History:...
. In 1897 Earl had an exhibition in which she showed paintings of 48 different breeds of dog.
Earl became famous during the Victorian Era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
, a time when women were not expected to make their living at painting. Nevertheless, she developed a select clientele, including Royals amongst her patrons such as Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
and Queen Alexandra. Although evidently extremely successful in England, Earl felt that the world she knew had been destroyed by World War I and she emigrated to New York City in 1916. By this time her work had received wide international recognition and her popular images were published in a number of books and in print form. The Sportsman's Year featured twelve of Earl's works as engravings.
Maud Earl died in New York in 1943 and is buried at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York is the resting place of numerous famous figures, including Washington Irving, whose story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is set in the adjacent Old Dutch Burying Ground. Incorporated in 1849 as Tarrytown Cemetery, it posthumously honored Irving's...
in Sleepy Hollow, New York
Sleepy Hollow, New York
Sleepy Hollow is a village in the town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by the Philipse Manor stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line.Originally...
.
Artistic style
Maud Earl's career can be said to have developed through four styles. Her earlier dog portraits, painted between 1880 and 1900, display a rich, naturalistic style. Between 1900 and 1915 these portraits took on a sketchier, looser style, although still highly finished. Earl entered what she called her oriental style during her first few years in the United States. During this time she painted delicate pictures of birds and she believed these to be some of her best works. Finally, she painted stylized dog portraits during the 1930s.Notable works
- Caesar - Earl painted Edward VII’s fox terrierFox TerrierFox Terrier refers primarily to two different breeds of the terrier dog type: the Smooth Fox Terrier and the Wire Fox Terrier. Both of these breeds originated in the 19th century from a handful of dogs who are descended from earlier varieties of British terriers, and are related to other modern...
“Caesar” on two occasions. The second depicted the dog mourning his master's death.