Wyatt Eaton
Wyatt Eaton, baptised Charles Wyatt Eaton, (May 6, 1849June 7, 1896) was a Canadian-American portrait and figure painter, remembered as one of the founders of the Society of American Artists. Biography. Born in Philipsburg, Quebec, Lower Canada, Eaton was a student of the National Academy of Design, New York, studying with Samuel Colman, Daniel Huntington and others. In 1872, he moved to Paris and studied at the École des Beaux-Arts under Jean-Léon Gérôme. During this time, he made the acquaintance of Jean-François Millet at Barbizon, and was also influenced by his friend Jules Bastien -Lepage to believe that his art should focus on rural life. After his return to the United States in 1876, he painted a series of portraits of American poets for the "Century" magazine which were engraved by Timothy Cole (Eaton`s portrait of him is in the collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario). He became a teacher in the Cooper Institute, and opened a studio in New York City but returned to Montreal often to paint portraits. In 1880, he travelled to France and Italy. He became one of the founders of the American Art Association, later the Society of  American Artists, of which he was the first secretary. He was also a founding member of the Society of Canadian Artists in Montreal (1867). Eaton died from tuberculosis at Newport, Rhode Island on June 7, 1896. Attribution: