Alfred Cornelius Howland (1838–1909) stands as a significant, if sometimes overlooked, figure in the landscape of 19th-century American art. A painter renowned for his charming and meticulously detailed genre scenes, particularly those depicting rural New England life, Howland captured the spirit of his era with warmth and keen observation. While not an avant-garde revolutionary, his work provides an invaluable window into the everyday activities, social customs, and idyllic landscapes of a rapidly changing America. His career spanned a period of immense artistic development, seeing the tail end of the Hudson River School's dominance, the influence of European academies, and the rise of new artistic currents.
Early Life and Artistic Stirrings
Born on February 12, 1838, in Walpole, New Hampshire, Alfred Cornelius Howland was immersed from a young age in the very New England environment that would later become central to his artistic vision. The rural charm, the distinct seasons, and the close-knit community life of Walpole undoubtedly left an indelible mark on his young mind. His father, Aaron Prentiss Howland, was a respected citizen, and his mother was Huldah (Burke) Howland. The family environment likely fostered an appreciation for diligence and observation.
Howland's artistic inclinations manifested early. While detailed records of his earliest artistic training are somewhat scarce, it is known that he initially pursued a different path. He studied engraving in Boston, Massachusetts, a common entry point for many aspiring artists of the time, as it provided a solid foundation in draftsmanship and composition. This practical skill would serve him well in his later painting career, contributing to the clarity and precision evident in his works. However, the allure of painting proved stronger, and he soon sought more formal instruction in this medium.
His formative years in Boston placed him in a city that was a burgeoning cultural and artistic hub. While not yet possessing the established art academies of Europe, Boston offered opportunities for aspiring artists to connect, learn, and exhibit. It was here that Howland likely encountered the works of established American painters and began to hone his own skills, dreaming of the advanced training available across the Atlantic. This period was crucial for cementing his decision to dedicate his life to art.
European Sojourn: Düsseldorf and Paris
Like many ambitious American artists of his generation, Howland recognized the necessity of European study to refine his technique and broaden his artistic horizons. In 1860, he embarked for Europe, a journey that would profoundly shape his artistic development. His first significant stop was Düsseldorf, Germany, home to the renowned Düsseldorf Academy. This institution was a magnet for international students, particularly Americans, drawn by its rigorous academic training, emphasis on detailed realism, and narrative clarity.
In Düsseldorf, Howland studied under Professor Andreas Achenbach, a prominent landscape painter known for his dramatic and meticulously rendered scenes. He also received instruction from Albert Flamm. The Düsseldorf School's curriculum stressed precise drawing, careful attention to detail, and often, the depiction of historical or anecdotal subjects. This training reinforced Howland's innate inclination towards detailed representation and narrative content, elements that would become hallmarks of his mature style. The influence of Düsseldorf can be seen in the polished finish and clear storytelling of his later genre paintings. Other American artists who passed through Düsseldorf around this period or were influenced by its ethos included Albert Bierstadt and Eastman Johnson, though Johnson, like Howland, would also absorb other influences.
After his time in Germany, Howland moved to Paris, the undisputed center of the art world in the mid-19th century. Here, he sought out the tutelage of Émile Lambinet, a landscape painter associated with the Barbizon School. The Barbizon painters, including figures like Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Jean-François Millet, and Théodore Rousseau, had moved away from the highly finished, idealized landscapes of academic tradition. Instead, they advocated for painting directly from nature (en plein air), capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere, and often depicting rural peasant life with a sense of dignity and realism.
Lambinet, though perhaps less famous than the leading Barbizon figures, shared their commitment to naturalism and direct observation. Studying with him exposed Howland to a softer, more atmospheric approach to landscape and a sympathetic portrayal of rural subjects. This Barbizon influence tempered the crisp precision of his Düsseldorf training, introducing a greater sensitivity to light and mood in his depictions of the American countryside. The combination of Düsseldorf's detailed narrative style and Barbizon's naturalism created a unique synthesis in Howland's work.
Return to America and Artistic Maturity
Alfred Howland returned to the United States in 1865, his artistic skills honed and his vision enriched by his European experiences. He initially settled in New York City, which was rapidly becoming the primary center for art in America. The city offered a vibrant artistic community, exhibition opportunities, and access to patrons. It was during this period that Howland began to establish his reputation as a painter of distinctively American scenes.
He became an active participant in the New York art world. In 1874, he was elected as an Associate of the prestigious National Academy of Design, a significant recognition of his talent and standing within the artistic community. Full academician status followed in 1882. The National Academy was the premier art institution in the country, and membership conferred considerable prestige. Howland regularly exhibited his works at the Academy's annual exhibitions, which were major events in the cultural life of New York. His paintings were also shown at other important venues, such as the Brooklyn Art Association and the Boston Athenaeum.
While maintaining a studio in New York, Howland found enduring inspiration in the rural landscapes and community life of New England. He eventually established a summer home and studio in Williamstown, Massachusetts, in the picturesque Berkshire Hills. This location provided him with direct access to the subjects he loved to paint: the rolling hills, the quaint villages, the farms, and the people engaged in their daily lives and seasonal celebrations. His connection to this region was profound, and it infused his work with an authenticity and affection that resonated with contemporary audiences.
His paintings from this period often depict scenes of communal activity, family gatherings, and the simple pleasures of rural existence. He had a particular fondness for portraying children, capturing their playfulness and innocence with a gentle humor. His style, characterized by careful draftsmanship, clear compositions, and a warm, inviting palette, appealed to a public that valued recognizable scenes and relatable narratives.
Signature Themes and Artistic Style
Alfred Howland carved a niche for himself by focusing on themes that celebrated American rural life, particularly in New England. His paintings are often imbued with a sense of nostalgia and quiet charm, depicting a way of life that was, even in his time, beginning to yield to industrialization and urbanization. His work can be broadly categorized as genre painting, which focuses on scenes of everyday life, but his strong interest in landscape often made the setting an integral, almost character-like, component of his compositions.
One of Howland's recurring themes was community celebrations and gatherings. He delighted in portraying events that brought people together, such as holiday festivities, parades, and country fairs. These scenes are typically filled with numerous figures, each engaged in specific activities, contributing to a lively and detailed narrative. His ability to manage complex compositions with many figures, while maintaining clarity and individual characterization, was a testament to his skill.
Children were another favorite subject. Whether depicting them at play, attending school, or participating in family activities, Howland approached his young subjects with empathy and a keen eye for their characteristic behaviors. These paintings often possess a lighthearted and sentimental quality, reflecting Victorian-era attitudes towards childhood.
The New England landscape itself was a constant source of inspiration. Howland painted its rolling hills, verdant fields, and charming villages with a loving attention to detail. His landscapes are not the grand, sublime vistas of earlier Hudson River School painters like Frederic Edwin Church or Albert Bierstadt, but rather more intimate and domesticated scenes, often serving as backdrops for human activity. The influence of the Barbizon School is evident in his sensitivity to atmosphere and light, and his preference for the gentle beauty of the cultivated countryside over untamed wilderness.
Stylistically, Howland's work is characterized by its realism and meticulous detail. His figures are well-drawn and individualized, and his settings are rendered with a high degree of accuracy. His palette is generally warm and harmonious, with a good sense of light and shadow that models forms effectively. While his technique was polished and academic, it avoided stiffness, conveying a sense of life and movement. He was a skilled storyteller, and his paintings often invite viewers to imagine the narratives unfolding within them.
Notable Works: Capturing the American Spirit
Several of Howland's paintings stand out as particularly representative of his style and thematic concerns, earning him acclaim during his lifetime and securing his place in American art history.
"The Fourth of July Parade" (circa 1886, High Museum of Art, Atlanta) is perhaps his most famous and widely reproduced work. This painting epitomizes Howland's skill in depicting lively community events. The scene is set in a sun-dappled New England village, likely Walpole, New Hampshire, with a procession of townspeople, a local band, and children joyfully participating in the Independence Day celebration. The composition is bustling yet orderly, with numerous anecdotal details that capture the patriotic fervor and communal spirit of the occasion. The bright colors, the play of sunlight and shadow, and the individualized expressions of the figures all contribute to the painting's enduring appeal. It is a quintessential image of small-town American life in the late 19th century.
"Thanksgiving Dinner" (various versions, including one from 1889) is another theme Howland explored, capturing the warmth and abundance of this traditional American holiday. These paintings typically depict a family gathered around a laden table, conveying a sense of domestic harmony and gratitude. The attention to detail in rendering the food, the period furnishings, and the interactions between family members makes these scenes particularly evocative.
"Coaching in New England" (also known as "The Old Stage Coach," 1881) showcases Howland's interest in modes of transportation and the picturesque aspects of travel in an earlier era. The painting depicts a stagecoach, filled with passengers, navigating a country road. It evokes a sense of nostalgia for a slower pace of life and the romance of stagecoach travel, which was being superseded by the railroad during Howland's time.
"The Fox Hunt" (1867) demonstrates his ability to capture action and the relationship between humans, animals, and the landscape. While perhaps less typical of his more tranquil genre scenes, it shows his versatility in depicting dynamic subjects.
Other notable works include "School's Out," capturing the exuberance of children released from their lessons, and various scenes of farm life, such as "Bringing Home the Hay" or "The Cider Mill." In all these works, Howland's consistent aim was to create an affectionate and detailed record of the world around him, focusing on the positive and enduring aspects of American rural culture. His paintings were accessible and relatable, offering a comforting vision of national identity.
Contemporaries and the Artistic Milieu
Alfred Howland's career unfolded during a dynamic period in American art, and he was part of a diverse community of artists. Understanding his work in relation to his contemporaries helps to situate his contributions more clearly.
The Hudson River School, though its first generation (Thomas Cole, Asher B. Durand) had largely passed, continued to exert influence through later figures like Sanford Robinson Gifford, Frederic Edwin Church, and Albert Bierstadt. While Howland's landscapes were generally more intimate and less focused on sublime grandeur than theirs, he shared their appreciation for the American landscape and a commitment to detailed representation.
In the realm of genre painting, Howland's closest peers included Eastman Johnson and Winslow Homer. Johnson, like Howland, studied in Düsseldorf and Paris and became known for his depictions of American rural life, particularly scenes of maple sugaring and cranberry harvesting. Homer, a more stylistically innovative and arguably more powerful painter, also captured aspects of American life, from Civil War scenes to images of children at play and rugged seascapes. Another contemporary genre painter was John George Brown, famous for his sentimental depictions of New York City newsboys and bootblacks. Howland's work, while sharing thematic similarities, often possessed a gentler, more idyllic quality than the sometimes more rugged or socially conscious work of Homer or Johnson.
The influence of European training was common among his generation. Artists like William Merritt Chase and Frank Duveneck were deeply influenced by their studies in Munich, bringing a bolder, more painterly style back to America. While Howland's Düsseldorf and Barbizon training led him down a path of detailed naturalism, these artists represented a different facet of European influence.
The Barbizon impulse that touched Howland also had a more direct impact on other American artists. William Morris Hunt, who studied with Jean-François Millet, was a key figure in introducing Barbizon aesthetics to Boston. George Inness, initially associated with the Hudson River School, later developed a more subjective, atmospheric style deeply influenced by Barbizon principles, leading to his Tonalist masterpieces. Though Howland's application of Barbizon ideas was more integrated into his genre scenes, he shared this broader appreciation for its naturalism.
Other significant American painters of the era included the great portraitists John Singer Sargent and Thomas Eakins. Eakins, known for his uncompromising realism, also painted genre scenes, such as his famous depictions of rowers and medical procedures, though with a scientific rigor and psychological depth distinct from Howland's approach. Sargent, with his dazzling brushwork, primarily captured the elite of his time.
Howland's participation in the National Academy of Design placed him in regular contact with many of these artists. The Academy's exhibitions were a melting pot of styles and subjects, reflecting the diverse currents in American art. His consistent presence there indicates his respected position within this artistic community.
Exhibitions, Recognition, and Later Years
Alfred Howland enjoyed considerable recognition during his lifetime. His election as a full Academician to the National Academy of Design in 1882 was a significant honor, signifying his acceptance into the highest echelons of the American art establishment. He was a regular and popular exhibitor at the Academy's annual shows for many years, and his works were often favorably reviewed.
Beyond the National Academy, Howland's paintings were featured in numerous other important exhibitions across the United States. These included showings at the Brooklyn Art Association, the Boston Art Club, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. His work also gained international exposure when he exhibited at the Paris Salon, a mark of distinction for any artist, particularly an American. This indicates that his depictions of American life found appreciation beyond national borders.
His paintings were sought after by private collectors who appreciated their charm, meticulous craftsmanship, and relatable subject matter. The themes he chose—celebrations of American holidays, idyllic rural scenes, and the innocence of childhood—resonated with a public that often sought art that was both aesthetically pleasing and morally uplifting. His work found a place in many comfortable Victorian homes.
In his later years, Howland continued to paint, dividing his time between his New York studio and his summer home in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The Berkshires remained a constant source of inspiration, and he produced many scenes of this picturesque region. He remained active in the artistic community, maintaining his connections with fellow artists and institutions.
Alfred Cornelius Howland passed away on March 17, 1909, in Pasadena, California, where he had likely traveled for health reasons or to visit family. He left behind a substantial body of work that serves as a valuable visual record of 19th-century American life.
Howland's Enduring Legacy and Place in Art History
In the decades following his death, Alfred Howland's reputation, like that of many 19th-century academic and genre painters, experienced a period of relative obscurity. The rise of Modernism in the early 20th century shifted artistic tastes towards abstraction, experimentation, and a rejection of traditional narrative and illusionistic representation. Artists like Howland, whose work was firmly rooted in 19th-century aesthetics, were often seen as old-fashioned or overly sentimental by proponents of the new artistic movements.
However, in more recent times, there has been a renewed appreciation for 19th-century American art, including the contributions of genre painters like Howland. Art historians and curators have recognized the historical and cultural significance of his work, as well as its intrinsic artistic merits. His paintings offer invaluable insights into the social customs, material culture, and visual landscape of his era. They provide a window into the aspirations, values, and daily life of a nation undergoing significant transformation.
Today, Alfred Howland's paintings are held in the collections of numerous American museums, including the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the Brooklyn Museum, the New-York Historical Society, and various university art galleries and historical societies. His work is studied for its detailed depictions of American life, its competent technique, and its reflection of contemporary tastes and cultural attitudes.
While he may not have been a radical innovator in the vein of some of his European contemporaries or later American modernists, Howland excelled within his chosen field. He was a skilled draftsman, a capable colorist, and a charming storyteller. His affectionate portrayals of New England life captured a particular aspect of the American experience with sincerity and skill. His legacy lies in this faithful and appealing chronicle of his time, preserving for future generations a vision of 19th-century America that continues to delight and inform. He remains a respected figure among painters who documented the fabric of American society before the profound shifts of the 20th century.
