1828 - 1905

Essensielle fakta

  • Art period: 19th Century
  • Works on this site: 1
  • Top-ranked work: Wildflowers
  • Lifespan: 77 years
  • Also known as: إيلين روبنز
  • Museums on this site: Metropolitan Museum of Art

A Life in Watercolor

Born in 1828 in Watertown, Massachusetts, Ellen Robbins was the youngest child of a factory owner. Following the death of her father and the subsequent burning of his factory, Robbins turned to watercolor painting to help support her family. While she received some training from Stephen Salisbury Tuckerman, she was largely self-taught. Her skill in botanical illustration became widely recognized, particularly for her paintings of wildflowers and autumn leaves. Her work was noted for its realism; contemporary accounts suggested her flowers were so lifelike that bees might land upon them, and her leaf paintings were occasionally mistaken for actual leaves.

Robbins's success allowed her to expand her artistic reach beyond individual paintings. She produced books of flower illustrations and created botanical designs for various mediums, including china, furniture, tiles, and textiles. In the 1840s, she also began teaching watercolor painting. Her reputation grew to the point that she was hired by the lithographer Louis Prang to create a series of flowers and autumn leaves for prints. Additionally, she was invited to create a frieze for Wellesley College.

Artistic Legacy and Travels

Throughout her career, Robbins's work became fashionable in both America and England. She was a contributor to the first annual exhibition of the American Watercolor Society in 1867/1868. Her travels often took her abroad or to Maine, where she stayed at Appledore House and painted the flowers from the garden of the writer Celia Thaxter. In 1896, she shared reflections on her life through a series of articles in New England Magazine titled "Reminiscences of a Flower Painter."

Her published works include:

  • Autumnal Leaves (1868, 18 watercolors)

Spørsmål og svar

Hvor kan jeg finne statistikk om verkene til Ellen Robbins?

Statistikk om Ellen Robbins sine verk er tilgjengelig på kunstnerens Besøksstatistikk-side.

Hvilke andre navn er Ellen Robbins kjent under?

Ellen Robbins er også kjent under navnene إيلين روبنز.

Hvor finner jeg Ellen Robbins sine kunstverk gruppert etter teknikk?

Ellen Robbins sine verk kan utforskes etter medium på Ellen Robbins sin Alle medier-side.

Hva er fødestedet og fødselsåret til Ellen Robbins?

Ellen Robbins ble født i Watertown i 1828.

Test øyet ditt

Det er kun ett riktig svar på hvert spørsmål.

Spørsmål 1:
In which city was Ellen Robbins born?
Spørsmål 2:
What was the subject matter of the book Robbins published in 1868?
Spørsmål 3:
Who was the lithographer that hired Robbins to create a series of flowers and autumn leaves for prints?
Spørsmål 4:
According to a contemporary, what might happen because of the realism in her flower paintings?
Spørsmål 5:
With whom did Robbins often spend time in Maine during the summer?