Joseph Boggs Beale (December 10, 1841 – February 26, 1926) was an American artist. He is one of the most renowned artists to work with the magic lantern.
Joseph Boggs Beale | |
|---|---|
 c. 1915 portrait of Beale | |
| Born | December 10, 1841 |
| Died | February 26, 1926 (aged 84) Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US |
| Alma mater | Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts |
| Occupation | Magic lantern artist |
| Family | Betsy Ross (great-grandaunt) |
Early life edit
Beale was born on December 10, 1841, in Philadelphia, the eldest child of Louise Boggs McCord (1815–1887) and Dr. Steven Thomas Beale (1814–1899), a dentist and founder of the Pennsylvania Association of Dental Surgeons. He was also a great-grandnephew of Betsy Ross.[1]
He attended Central High School, and later studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. In August 1862, he got a job as a teacher at Central High School, a position that Thomas Eakins also applied for.[2]
Career edit
Beale began as an oil painter,[3] serving as a war artist for the 2nd Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment during the American Civil War, from June to August 1863.[4]
After the war, Beale moved to Chicago. There, he worked as an illustrator for Harper's Magazine, Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, and The Daily Graphic. In 1868, he married a woman named Mary Louise Taffart.[4] He returned to Philadelphia after the Great Chicago Fire in 1871.[2]
After returning to Philadelphia, Beale was hired as an illustrator at Caspar W. Briggs & Sons, a seller of glass slides. He created 1,804 black-and-white paintings while working there. He created these paintings using charcoal, contrasted with ink wash painting.[5] His paintings were usually about United States history, Bible stories, and children's literarute.[6]
Beale died in his home in Germantown on February 26, 1926, aged 84. An avid rower, he was the oldest member of the Undine Barge Club.[4]
References edit
- ^ "Art: The Professor". Time. 1935-08-19. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
- ^ a b "Joseph Boggs Beale: An Inventory of His Collection at the Harry Ransom Center" (PDF). University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
- ^ "Collection: Joseph Boggs Beale Collection | Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives". pmalibrary.libraryhost.com. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
- ^ a b c "Joseph Boggs Beale | Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery". 2023-09-02. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
- ^ Wainwright, Nicholas B.; Boggs Beale, Joseph (1973). "Education of an Artist: The Diary of Joseph Boggs Beale, 1856-1862". The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 97 (4): 485–510. ISSN 0031-4587. JSTOR 20090791.
- ^ Beale, Joseph Boggs; Robb, Frances Osborn; Robb, David M.; Roylance, Dale (1975). Star-spangled history: drawings by Joseph Boggs Beale, magic lantern artist, 1841-1926: exhibition. American National Insurance Company. Galveston: The Company. ISBN 978-0-915902-50-7.