Ezra Ames (1768 - 1836)

Artist.  He was born in Massachusetts but moved with his family to Staatsburg, New York when he was a young child.  He returned to Massachusetts settling in Worcester where he was a successful furniture and carriage painter.  It was here that he began to experiment with painting portraits, specializing in miniatures.  In 1795 he moved […]

José Amérigo Salazar (1915 - 1988)

Artist. He was born in Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana. He studied with the future painters Francisco Lozano, Armando Ramón Vivó, and his teachers were Ricardo Verde Rubio, Vicente Beltrán Grimal and Josep Renau, among others. Among his works “Mujer en la Ventana,” “Silencio” and “Desnudo de Mujer.” He died in his hometown.  (bio by: José L […]

Ambrós “Miguel” Ambrosio Zaragoza (1912 - 1992)

Illustrator. He was born in Albuixech, Valencia. He is fondly remembered for all a generation of childrens for his character “El Capitán Trueno,” created along with the writer Víctor Mora. He also illustrated the comics “El Caballero Fantasma” and “El Corsario de Hierro.” In 1989, he was awarded with the prestigious Saló del Comic de […]

Gustinus Ambrosi (1893 - 1975)

Artist, Poet. Born August Arthur Ambrosi, he was an accomplished musician, but it was his sculptures that brought him early recognition, and he is now considered one of Austria’s greatest sculptors. He specialized in portraits; his work includes, among hundreds of others, busts of Richard Wagner, Gerhard Hauptmann, Friedrich Nietzsche, Benito Mussolini, Anton Wildgans, Stefan […]

Billie Allen (1925 - 2015)

Actress. A versatile performer, she is remembered as one of the first black artists to achieve success on Broadway and to have a regular role in a television series. Born Wilhelmina Louise Allen, she was raised in Richmond’s West End, attended local schools as well as Hampton University, and in 1943 moved to New York […]

Manuel Encarnacion Amador Torreros (1869 - 1952)

Artist, Diplomat. He is best recognized as the designer of the Panamanian flag. Amador studied in Cartagena, Colombia and the United States, receiving his degree in accounting, before taking a position in the Treasury Department. Following independence of the Republic in 1903, he was appointed Minister of Finance. From 1904 until 1908, he served as […]

Barbara Jo “Vera Vague” Allen (1906 - 1974)

Actress. She is best remembered as ‘Vera Vague’ the spinster character she created and portrayed on radio and in films during the 1940s and 1950s. As ‘Vera Vague’, she popularized the catch phrase “You dear boy!” Born in New York City, New York, her acting skills first appeared in school plays. She traveled to Paris, […]

Mathias J. Alten (1871 - 1938)

Artist. He was an impressionistic painter who lived most of his life in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He ground all of his own paints, which gave his paintings a rich hue that could not be duplicated. He used a palette knife to highlight his paintings. He painted portraits, still-life, landscapes, and seascapes.  Family links:  Spouse:  Bertha […]

Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836 - 1912)

Artist. Born in Holland, he moved to London, England when in his mid-30s, in 1869. He became very much part of the English establishment, gaining a knighthood in 1899. A genial and uncomplicated man, Alma-Tadema enjoyed his success and money, living in extravagant life-style. His life was an enormously sucessful one in which he was […]

Elizabeth Allan (1908 - 1990)

Actress. She is credited with appearing in 46 films and 25 stage roles. In 1934 she moved to Hollywood where she appeared in several films, the best known being ‘Mrs Copperfield/Murdstone’ in “David Copperfield,” ‘Lucy Manette’ in “A Tale of Two Cities” and and as ‘Nichette’ in “Camille” with Greta Garbo in 1936. In 1939, […]

Laura Theresa Alma-Tadema (1852 - 1909)

Artist. The second wife of noted Dutch-born artist Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, she had a significant career as a painter in her own right. Raised in London, Laura met the somewhat older Alma-Tadema in late 1869 at the home of artist Ford Madox Brown. Lawrence, who had just lost his wife, was apparently taken with her, […]

Washington Allston (1779 - 1843)

Artist,  Poet. After studying at Harvard, Allston was admitted to the Royal Academy in London. He practiced as a painter in Europe, where he met with great success and spent time with notable individuals like Washington Irving and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. His wife died shortly after his first collection of poetry was published; a few […]

Helen Allingham (1848 - 1926)

Artist. A noted watercolourist of the late 19th Century, she is primarily remembered for her images of the Surrey countryside. Born Helen Mary Elizabeth Paterson, she was raised initally in Altrincham, Cheshire, then following her father’s 1862 death during a diphtheria epidemic, the victims of which he was helping to treat, in Birmingham. Her talent […]

Viridiana Alatriste (1963 - 1982)

Actress. She began her career in the theater, appearing in “Annie es un tiro” with her mother, the actress Silvia Pinal, “La Fierecilla Domada,” “Isabel de Inglaterra” and “Tartufo o el Impostor.” In motion pictures she worked in “La Seducción” (1980) and “La Combi Asesina” (1982). On television, she appeared in series “Honrarás a los […]

James Pinckney Alley (1885 - 1934)

Cartoonist. Known for creating the character ‘Hambone’ in “Hambone’s Meditations.” Author of “Distinguised Folks.” (bio by: Laurie)  Family links:  Parents:  John Pinckney Alley (1840 – 1891)  Malinda Catherine Everette Lane Alley Jones (1844 – 1931)  Spouse:  Nona Buchanan Lane Alley (1887 – 1975)*  Children:  Elizabeth Alley Ahlgren (1909 – 1992)*  Kathryn Alley Conaway (1911 – […]

Josef Albers (1888 - 1976)

Artist. He gained renown as an abstract artist, color-theorist, teacher and author. Beginning his career in Weimar, Germany, he taught at the famous Bauhaus school of fine arts. He fled from Nazi Germany to the United States in 1933, and taught at Black Mountain College in North Carolina. After teaching at Yale University, he became […]

Jitoku Akatsuka (1970 - 1970)

Artist. Also known as “Heizaemon Akatsuka, he is famous for his works in gold lacquer, using the “maki-e” technique, as well for some of his oil paintings. A member of the “Teikoku Geijutsu-in (Imperial Art Academy), many of his creations are on display in museums in metropolitan Tokyo and other areas of Japan. (bio by: […]

Maude Adams (1872 - 1953)

Actress. Born Maude Kiskadden in Salt Lake City, Utah to Mormon parents with a theatrical mother, she began her career at the age of nine months, when she was carried on stage by her mother during a Salt Lake City stock company production.  She took speaking roles as soon as she could talk while adopting […]

George Charles Aid (1872 - 1938)

Artist. Born and raised in Quincy, Illinois. He received his primary art education at the St. Louis School of Fine Art. George worked as a staff artist for the St. Louis newspapers before moving to France in 1899. Once he arrived in France he began his studies at the Academie Julian in Paris with renowned […]

Carl Henry Ahrens (1862 - 1936)

Artist.  Prominent in early 20th century North American art, he was most noted for his landscape paintings. Studying with artists William Merritt Chase, George Inness and William Keith, his work ranged from tonalism (painting that utilized the overall tone of colored atmosphere or mist) in the early part of his career to post-impressionistic in the […]

Joaquín Agrasot Juan (1836 - 1919)

Artist. Born in Orihuela, Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain, at young age, he moved to Valencia with his parents. Soon after he began his career as painter, and he wqs bestowed his first award in 1860 with his works “La Educación de la Virgen,” “El Sacrifico de Isaac” and “Retrato de Don Juan Alfonso de Albuquerque, […]

Adrian (1903 - 1959)

Costume Designer. Born in Naugatuck, Connecticut, to Jewish immigrant parents Gilbert and Helena (Pollack) Greenberg. He attended the New York School for Fine and Applied Arts. In 1922, he transferred to NYSFAA’s Paris campus and while there was hired by Irving Berlin. Adrian then designed the costumes for Berlin’s The Music Box Revue. After creating […]

Bas Jan Ader (1942 - 1970)

Artist. A native of of Winschoten, the Netherlands, he was a popular Dutch conceptual artist, filmmaker, photographer, and performance artist. He studied at the Rietveld Academy in the Netherlands, and at the Otis Art College, and the Claremont Graduate School, in the United States. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1965 from […]

Gypsy Abbott (1896 - 1952)

Actress. She appeared in motion pictures during the “Silent Screen Era”, and was married for a time to film director Henry King. (bio by: A.J. Marik)  Family links:  Spouse:  Henry King (1886 – 1982) Inscription:Wife, MotherAlways in Our Hearts

Charles Samuel Addams (1912 - 1988)

Cartoonist. Born an only child in Westfield, New Jersey, he attended Westfield High School, where he was the art editor for the ‘Weather Vane’. He attended Colgate University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Grand Central School of Art in New York City briefly but refused to graduate from any of them. Making his first […]

Rena Vlahopoulou (1923 - 2004)

Actress, comedienne, dancer and singer. Fondly referred to as the “Lucille Ball” of Greece who appeared in movies and television for more than forty years, mostly in the 1960’s, in productions such as “The Gambler” (“H xartopaixtra”) and “The Countess Of Corfu” (“H Komissa tis Kerkyras”)She died of respiratory problems at her home in Athens, […]

John Ottis Adams (1851 - 1927)

Artist. One of the better-known figures of the “Indiana School” of painting, he studied at the Royal Academy in Munich, Germany, as well as in London, England, before returning to the United States. He specialized in Impressionist landscapes of his native Indiana, spending much of his time in the city of Muncie there. Along with […]

Ansel Easton Adams (1902 - 1984)

Photographer. His photographic images of the American landscape, and especially those of the American West and Yosemite Park, became popular and familiar to millions. Born in San Francisco, California, he was a problem student in school, which may have been caused by dyslexia or a hyperactive condition. When he was twelve, he taught himself to […]

William Adam (1970 - 1748)

Architect, Entrepreneur. Born near Kirkcaldy, Scotland, the son of a builder-architect, he inherited a legacy from previous noted Scottish architects Sir William Bruce and James Smith, and rose to be considered the most prominent architect in Scotland during his lifetime. Developing a Baroque style after which he disseminated through his large practice, he was popular […]

Robert Adam (1728 - 1792)

Architect. One of the most prominent architects of 18th century Great Britain, he was appointed as the Royal Architect of the King’s Works, serving from 1761 to 1769. Robert was born on July 3, 1728 at Gladney House in Kirkcaldy, Fife .He was the son of William Adam, the country’s foremost architect of the time, […]