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)

John Melville Kelly, Sampan Fisherman, n.d., drypoint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chicago Society of Etchers, 1935.13.177
Sampan Fisherman
Daten.d.
drypoint
Not on view
John Melville Kelly, Kalama, Hawaii, n.d., drypoint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chicago Society of Etchers, 1935.13.178
Kalama, Hawaii
Daten.d.
drypoint
Not on view