Carlton Theodore Chapman

1860-1925

American (New York, New York)

Painter and printmaker Carlton Theodore Chapman was born in New London, Ohio in 1860. His family moved to Oberlin when he was a boy and he spent most of his childhood summers in Maine, often accompanying his uncle at his work in the shipyards. Nautical themes would be the dominant subject for the artist throughout his life.

Champman's formal education began at the National Academy of Design, New York, where he also took courses in marine architecture. This was followed by courses at the Art Students League of New York, and travel abroad for study at the Academie Julian in Paris, France, the South Kensington Museum, England, and the National Gallery of London. He developed a reputation for his nautical works and was commissioned by the US Naval Academy to paint a series of works illustrating James Barnes' Naval Actions of the War of 1812. Its success led to several more commissions from publishers and in 1898 he was the designated US Navy war artist sent to capture the unfolding of the Spanish American War in Cuba for publication in Harper's Weekly.