James Wells Champney (July 16, 1843 – May 1, 1903) was an American

genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

artist and illustrator noted for his portraits, oriental scenes and American landscapes.

Life and career

Champney was born in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, the son of Benjamin and Sarah Wells Champney. His mother died when he was quite young and he was raised by relatives. At the age of 16 years he began his career as an apprentice wood engraver and earned a living making wood engravings. At the outbreak of Civil War he left the apprenticeship and enlisted in the 45th Massachusetts Volunteers. He was at Gettysburg and during his service he contracted malaria and was discharged. After the war he taught drawing for a short period and in 1866 he travelled to

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

where he studied under the genre painter, Edouard Frère in Ecouen. He later studied with Van Lerius at the Royal Academy in Antwerp. He returned to America in 1870 and opened an Academy, but was soon drawn back to Europe, settling in Rome for a time and visiting Paris. Mississippi Capitol by James Wells Champney 1875

Mississippi Capitol by James Wells Champney 1875

In 1873 he eloped with Elizabeth Williams, his former student of drawing, to save her from an arranged marriage. For three years following their marriage the couple travelled through Europe and were living in France when their first child was born. The family eventually settled in

Deerfield, Massachusetts Deerfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. Settled near the Connecticut River in the 17th century during the colonial era, the population was 5,090 as of the 2020 census. Deerfield is part of the Springfield, Massachus ...

. James and Elizabeth became productive collaborators. Elizabeth contributed many articles and illustrations to magazines such as ''Scribners'' and ''Harper's'' and also authored several series of travel books, often with her husband providing the illustrations. James'

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other type ...

s and illustrations were very popular and were used to illustrate books not only by his wife, but by other notable authors. In 1879 the Champneys purchased a second home on New York's fashionable Fifth Avenue, where James established a studio. He also maintained a studio at Deerfield, Massachusetts. Although he spent most of his time working at his New York studio, his favourite place of work was the studio at Deerfield. In 1880 the couple secured a contract to illustrate a series of articles for ''Century Magazine.'' For this endeavour the pair embarked on travel to North Africa, Spain and Portugal, visiting localities such as

Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...

and

Tétouan Tétouan (, or ) is a city in northern Morocco. It lies along the Martil Valley and is one of the two major ports of Morocco on the Mediterranean Sea, a few miles south of the Strait of Gibraltar, and about E.S.E. of Tangier. In the 2014 Morocc ...

in Morocco, that had not been covered by any of the illustrated magazines at that time. In Europe they encountered the works of the Spanish realist, Mariano Fortuny and the French painter,

Henri Regnault Alexandre Georges Henri Regnault (31 October 1843 – 19 January 1871) was a French painter. Biography Regnault was born in Paris, the son of Henri Victor Regnault. On leaving school he successively entered the studios of Antoine Montfort, Lo ...

, and spent much of their time following in the artists' footsteps across Spain, France and Morocco. Between 1880 and 1890, the Champneys made several trips to Europe, and in 1890 Champney opened a studio in Paris. From around 1885 Champney focussed almost exclusively on pastels. He exhibited pastel works at the Columbian Exhibition in Chicago (1893, 1898). In 1882 he was elected into the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Frederick Styles Agate, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, an ...

as an Associate member. He was also a member of the Salmagundi Art Club. The Champney's marriage was a very happy one. In the midst of preparing for a trip to Russia, James died on 1 May 1903 in from a fall in a New York elevator shaft; the circumstances were reported in ''The New York Times''. He was survived by his widow; a son,

Édouard Frère Champney Edouard Frere Champney (May 4, 1874 - June 4, 1929) was an architect in the United States. He worked on buildings that are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and partnered with various architects including A. Warren G ...

(b. 1874, France), an architect, of Washington; and a daughter, Mrs John Humphreys, known as Marie Champney (b. 1877), a painter of miniatures.

Works

Champney's paintings include landscape and genre subjects as well as Orientalist scenes. After his travels in Europe, he concentrated almost exclusively on pastels and became known for his portraits, especially those of young girls. Among the many portraits he painted are those of William Winter, Henry M. Stanley, and

Mary Mannering Mary Mannering (born Florence Friend; April 29, 1876 – January 21, 1953) was an English actress. She studied for the stage under Hermann Vezin. She made her debut at Manchester in 1892 under her own name of Florence Friend. Biography Born Cl ...

as "Daphne." He also lectured on photography and was an advocate of the photograph's pictorial potential. In addition, he carried out decorations for the Hotel Manhattan in 1898. He often signed his work as "Champs" to distinguish himself from other artists with the same family name.Walter, M., ''American Art and American Art Collections: Essays on Artistic Subjects,'' Boston, E.W. Walker & co, 1889, p. 56 Paintings and Pastels * ''The Lesson,'' 1874 * ''The Little Beggar,'' 1874 * ''Puss in Boots,'' 1875 * ''The Letter,'' 1881 * ''The Fan,'' 1882 * ''The Coquette,'' 1885 * ''Self-portrait in a Turban,'' 1887 * ''Garden at Versailles,'' 1893 * ''Woman Seated Holding Lilies,'' 1902 * ''Bearded Man In A White Turban,'' n.d. * ''Veiled Woman,'' n.d. Book Illustrations * Edward Smith King & James Wells Champney (illustrator), ''The Great South: A Record of Journeys in Louisiana, Texas, the Indian Territory, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland,'' American Publishing Company, 1875 * William Henry Thomes & James Wells Champney (illustrator), ''The Gold Hunters' Adventures; Or, Life in Australia,'' Chicago, A.T. Lloyd, 1888. * Elizabeth Williams Champney & James Wells Champney, ''Three Vassar Girls Abroad,'' 1883 * Elizabeth Williams Champney & James Wells Champney, ''Three Vassar Girls in South America,'' 1885 * Elizabeth Williams Champney & James Wells Champney, ''Three Vassar Girls in Italy: A Holiday Excursion of Three College Girls Through the Classic Lands,'' Boston, Estes and Lauriat, 1886 * Elizabeth Williams Champney & James Wells Champney, ''Three Vassar Girls in Switzerland,'' 1890 * Elizabeth Williams Champney & James Wells Champney, ''Three Vassar Girls in the Tyrol,'' 1891 * Elizabeth Williams Champney & James Wells Champney, ''Great-grandmother's Girls In New France: The History Of Little Eunice Williams...,'' Boston, Estes and Lauriat, 1887 * Elizabeth Williams Champney & James Wells Champney, ''Witch Winnie in Paris: Or the King's Daughters Abroad,'' 1893

Gallery

File:Georgia crackers 1873.jpg, ''Georgia Crackers,'' 1873 File:Marion sternwheeler 1873 Ocklawaha River Florida.jpg, ''Marion Sternwheeler, Ocklawaha River Florida,'' 1873 File:GreatSouthCarnivalMaskers.jpg, ''Great South Carnival Maskers,'' 1875 File:TheatresOfNewOrleans1875.jpg, ''Theatres of New Orleans'', 1875 File:Girl with Broom in Doorway Champney 1882.jpg, ''Girl with Broom in Doorway,'' 1882 File:James Wells Champney - Minimic - NPG.96.163 - National Portrait Gallery.jpg, ''Minimic'' National Portrait Gallery

References

Notes Bibliography *

External links

James Wells Champney exhibition catalogs

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Champney, James Wells 19th-century American painters 20th-century American painters 1843 births 1903 deaths American male painters Artists from Massachusetts National Academy of Design members American Orientalist painters Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp) alumni Members of the Salmagundi Club 19th-century American male artists 20th-century American male artists