Artist

Edward Harrison May

born Croydon, England 1824-died Paris, France 1887
Born
Croydon, England
Died
Paris, France
Active in
  • New York, New York, United States
Biography

Edward Harrison May was born in Croydon, England, but moved to New York City as a child with his father, a Dutch Reformed minister. He started out studying civil engineering, but soon decided to switch to art and took lessons from the painter Daniel Huntington. Many nineteenth-century artists spent time in Europe to perfect their skills, and in 1851, May moved permanently to Paris, where he created portraits of wealthy Europeans and Americans and won a gold medal at the 1855 Paris Exposition.

Works by this artist (2 items)

Domenico Viola, Triomphe de Midas, pen and ink and sepia wash on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.7.114
Triomphe de Midas
Artist
Attributed to Domenico Viola
pen and ink and sepia wash on paper
Not on view
Domenico Viola, Untitled, drawing, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.7.115
Untitled
Artist
Attributed to Domenico Viola
drawing
Not on view