
Edwin Austin Abbey (1888)
by John Singer Sargent
Edwin Austin Abbey was an American muralist, illustrator, and painter.
(April 1, 1852- August 1, 1911)
He flourished at the beginning of what is now referred to as the "golden age" of illustration, and is best known for his drawings and paintings of Shakespearean and Victorian subjects.
He completed a series of murals for the Boston Public Library in the 1890s. In 1908–09 Abbey began an ambitious program of murals and other artworks for the newly completed Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. These included allegorical medallion murals representing Science, Art, Justice, and Religion for the dome of the Rotunda: four large lunette murals beneath the dome, and multiple works for the House and Senate Chambers. For the Senate chamber he finished only one painting, 'Von Steuben Training the American Soldiers at Valley Forge', and he was working on the 'Reading of the Declaration of Independence' mural in early 1911, when his health began to fail.
Studio assistant William Simmonds continued work on the mural with little supervision from Abbey, and with small contributions by John Singer Sargent. (from: Wikipedia)
Pennsylvania State Capitol Rotunda.
Left to right: The Spirit of Vulcan, Science,
The Spirit of Religious Liberty, Art,
The Spirit of Light.
House Chamber, Pennsylvania State Capitol.
Part 1: E.A. Abbey, "Greatest living illustrator"
http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2013/06/part-1-ea-abbey-greatest-living.html