Artist

Andrew John Henry Way

born Washington, DC 1826-died Baltimore, MD 1888
Also known as
  • A. J. H. Way
Born
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Died
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Biography

Andrew John Henry Way first studied with John P. Frankenstein in Cincinnati and Alfred J. Miller in Baltimore. In 1850 Way went to Europe to study in Paris and Florence. Four years later he returned to Baltimore, where he lived until his death. When one of his still lifes won the praise of Emanuel Leutze about 1859, Way changed his focus from portraits to still lifes, garnering considerable distinction for his paintings of grapes. He received a medal for excellence in still life at the Centennial Exposition of 1876. Way was one of the organizers of the Maryland Academy of Fine Arts in 1871 and the Charcoal Club of Baltimore in 1885.

National Museum of American Art (CD-ROM) (New York and Washington D.C.: MacMillan Digital in cooperation with the National Museum of American Art, 1996)

Luce Artist Biography

Andrew John Henry Way was born in Washington and studied in Cincinnati. He started as a portrait and miniature painter, but after studying in Europe, began painting still-life scenes. He settled in Baltimore, Maryland, and specialized in images of mouthwatering grapes and oysters arranged on tabletops. These were popular among wealthy citizens of Baltimore who decorated their parlors with his paintings. Way had planned on returning to Europe, but there was such a great demand for his paintings that he stayed in Baltimore and enjoyed a successful career as a leading figure in the city’s cultural life. (Dean et al., 350 Years of Art & Architecture in Maryland, 1984)