Joseph Henry Hatfield (June 1863 – January 12, 1928) was an American painter and manufacturer of artist's oil paints. His work was shown in national and international exhibitions.

Early life and education

Hatfield was born near

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...

, to William and Mary Jane (née Blick) Hatfield. Both parents and an older brother were born in England. William Hatfield was a silk weaver. In 1862, the family emigrated from England to Canada, then moved to Boston in 1866. Hatfield became interested in art at an early age. The 1880 U.S. census listed the sixteen-year-old's occupation as "artist". In 1889–1890, he studied in Paris at the

Académie Julien An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

with

Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant (also known as Benjamin-Constant), born Jean-Joseph Constant (10 June 1845 – 26 May 1902), was a French painter and etcher best known for his Oriental subjects and portraits. Biography Benjamin-Constant was ...

Henri Lucien Doucet Henri Lucien Doucet (23 August 1856 – 31 December 1895) was a French figure and portrait painter and pastellist, born in Paris. Biography Doucet studied under Lefebvre and Boulanger, and in 1880 won the Prix de Rome. In 1888, he taught at A ...

, and

Jules Joseph Lefebvre Jules Joseph Lefebvre (; 14 March 183624 February 1911) was a French painter, educator and theorist. Early life Lefebvre was born in Tournan-en-Brie, Seine-et-Marne, on 14 March 1836. He entered the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Ar ...

Career

Hatdield participated in the

Paris Salon The Salon (), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art event in the Western world. At the ...

in 1891. He settled in

Canton, Massachusetts Canton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,370 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Canton is part of Greater Boston, about southwest of Downtown Boston. History The area that is present ...

, and also maintained a

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 ...

studio in the Harcourt Studios building, which burned down in 1904. Trained in figure painting, Hatfield specialized in

genre painting Genre painting (or petit genre) is the painting of genre art, which depicts aspects of everyday life by portraying ordinary people engaged in common activities. One common definition of a genre scene is that it shows figures to whom no identity ca ...

, particularly scenes of children at play. Later in his career, he concentrated on landscapes. Hatfield also supplied illustrations for periodicals. His drawings for " The Yellow Wall-paper", a short story by Charlotte Perkins Stetson, were published by ''

The New England Magazine ''The New England Magazine'' was a monthly literary magazine published in Boston, Massachusetts, from 1884 to 1917. It was known as ''The Bay State Monthly'' from 1884 to 1886. The magazine was published by J. N. McClinctock and Company. The m ...

'' in January 1892.

Manufacturing and retailing

Noticing that many artists' oil paints in general use darkened over time, Hatfield decided to make his own. Starting in his basement with pigments imported from Europe, he developed a line of paints he called Hatfield's Hand Ground Artists Oil Paints. When the business outgrew the basement, Hatfield built a small factory behind his house in Canton Junction. In 1898, he opened a retail store, Hatfield's Color Shop, in the basement of the Hotel Ludlow in

Copley Square Copley Square is a public square in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, bounded by Boylston Street, Clarendon Street, St. James Avenue, and Dartmouth Street. The square is named for painter John Singleton Copley. Prior to 1883 it was known as Art Squ ...

. Hatfield sold his paints along with other artists' materials, and hosted exhibitions of the works of other artists. After his death in 1928, the shop was run by his elder daughter, Doris. The business had branches in the Massachusetts towns of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

, Rockport, and East Gloucester.

Personal life

In 1885, Hatfield married Flora E. Barber in

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. They had two daughters, Doris (1888–1977) and Pauline (1899–1950), who often served as models for their father. The 1900 U. S. census lists Hatfield as a naturalized citizen. Joseph Henry Hatfield Helping Papa

Exhibitions and awards

Boston Art Club The Boston Art Club is an arts organization in Boston, Massachusetts, which serves to help its members, as well as non-members, to access the world of fine art. It currently has more than 250 members. History The Boston Art Club was first conceive ...

, 1888–1902
An exhibition in 1894 included one hundred and forty works by Hatfield. *

, 1891, ''Letter from Papa'' *

Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association The Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association (est.1795) of Boston, Massachusetts, was "formed for the sole purposes of promoting the mechanic arts and extending the practice of benevolence." Founders included Paul Revere, Jonathan Hunnewell, ...

, 1892, ''Letter from Papa'' and ''The Doll's Bath'' *

, 1893, silver medal *

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...

, Chicago, 1893, ''Letter from Papa'', ''The Doll's Bath'' *

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

, 1894
''Helping Papa'', perhaps Hatfield's best-known work, depicts his daughter adding a stick figure to a landscape painting. *

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1805, it is the longest continuously operating art museum and art school in the United States. The academy's museum ...

, 1896, ''Among the Flowers'' * Second Hallgarten prize ($200), National Academy of Design, 1896, ''After the Bath'' *

Louisiana Purchase Exposition The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federa ...

, St. Louis, 1904

Gallery

References

Sources

External links

Artwork by Joseph Henry Hatfield
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hatfield, Joseph Henry Date of birth missing 1863 births 1928 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American illustrators 19th-century American male artists 19th-century American painters 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American illustrators 20th-century American male artists 20th-century American painters American businesspeople in retailing American genre painters American landscape painters American male painters American manufacturing businesspeople American people of English descent Artists from Ontario Businesspeople from Boston Businesspeople from Ontario Canadian emigrants to the United States Copley Square Naturalized citizens of the United States Painters from Boston People from Back Bay, Boston People from Canton, Massachusetts People from Kingston, Ontario