Walter Launt Palmer

Walter Launt Palmer
Born	1854 Albany, New York
Died	1932 Albany, New York
Education	Frederick E. Church, Carolus-Duran
Notable work	Winter landscape scenes
Movement	American Impressionist
Awards	Member of the National Academy of Design (1897)

Walter Launt Palmer (1854, Albany, New York – 1932, Albany, New York) was an American Impressionist painter. Palmer's father Erastus Dow Palmer was a prominent sculptor, and their Palmer residence was frequented by his father's friends, notably landscape painter Frederick E. Church.^[1] Palmer began his formal artistic training under Charles Loring Elliott, but it was Church who trained Palmer in landscape painting.^[2]

In 1873, Palmer made one of many trips abroad in order to work with Carolus-Duran. It was at this time that he met one of Carolus-Duran’s other young students, John Singer Sargent. The artist continued to take frequent and lengthy trips to Europe, and acquired a growing interest in French Impressionism as well as an enduring attraction to Venetian subjects.^[3] When Palmer returned to the United States, he spent most of his time in Albany, where artists like William and James Hart, Homer Dodge Martin, and Edward Gay also painted. He also spent some time working out of New York City at the Tenth Street Studio Building.

Palmer's most notable works are winter landscape scenes, a tradition he carried throughout his career. Exhibitions featuring Palmer's work have included Hawthorne Fine Art's A Perfect Solitude: The Art of Walter Launt Palmer (1854-1932) (December 12, 2006 – February 10, 2007).^[4]

Exhibitions

Palmer works were exhibited in group shows and solo exhibitions throughout his career. Many of his works are collectable and can be found in museums and private collections worldwide.

• Universelle Exposition, Paris, 1900
• Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1908, 1910, 1912
• Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, 1906

Prizes

• Hallgarten Prize, National Academy, 1887.
• First Prize, Columbian World Fair, Chicago, 1893.
• Gold Medal, Philadelphia Art Club, 1894.
• Gold Medal, Boston Art Club, 1895.
• W.T. Evans Prize, American Watercolor Society, 1895.
• Silver Medal, Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, 1901.
• Silver Medal, St. Louis Exposition
• Silver Medal, Philadelphia Art Club.
• Bronze Medal, St. Louis Exposition.
• Butler Prize, Art Institute of Chicago, 1919.
• Elected into the National Academy of Design, 1887

References

1. Palmer, W. L., and Butler Institute of American Art. 1988. Walter Launt Palmer (1854-1932): An American impressionist : September 11-October 16, 1988. Youngstown, Ohio: Butler Institute of American Art.
2. http://www.caldwellgallery.com/bios/wlpalmer-biography.html
3. http://www.caldwellgallery.com/bios/wlpalmer-biography.html
4. Marshall N. Price et. al, "A Perfect Solitude: The Art of Walter Launt Palmer (1854-1932)." exh. cat. New York: Hawthorne Fine Art, 2007.