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Elihu Vedder
Elihu Vedder

Elihu Vedder

American, 1836-1923
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Elihu Vedder was an American symbolist painter, book illustrator, and poet, born in New York City. He is best known for his fifty-five illustrations for Edward FitzGerald's translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (deluxe edition, published by Houghton Mifflin).

Elihu Vedder was born February 26, 1836 in New York City, the son of Dr. Elihu Vedder Sr. and Elizabeth Vedder. His parents were cousins. His father, a dentist, decided to try his luck in Cuba, and this had a profound impact on Elihu Jr.'s childhood. The remainder of his childhood was spent between his maternal grandfather Alexander Vedder's house in Schenectady and a boarding school. His mother supported his goals to be an artist while his father reluctantly assented, convinced that his son should try a different occupation. His brother, Dr. Alexander Madison Vedder, was a Navy surgeon who witnessed the transformation of Japan into a modern culture while he was stationed there.

Vedder trained in New York City with Tompkins H. Matteson, then in Paris with François-Édouard Picot. Finally, he completed his studies in Italy - where he was strongly influenced not only by Italian Renaissance work but also by the modern Macchiaioli painters and the living Italian landscape. He first visited Italy from 1858 until 1860, becoming deeply emotionally attached to fellow painter Giovanni Costa. Their idyllic trips through the Italian countryside were cut short because Vedder's father cut off his financial allowance.

Penniless, Vedder returned to the United States during the American Civil War and made a small living undertaking commercial illustrations. He was involved in the bohemian 'Pfaff's' coffee house group and painted some of his most memorable paintings notable for their visionary nature, romantic imagery and often Oriental influences. Paintings of this time include 'The Roc's Egg', 'The Fisherman and the Genii' and one of his most famous works, 'Lair of the Sea Serpent.' In the United States, Vedder sought out and befriended Walt Whitman, Herman Melville and William Morris Hunt. Vedder became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1865. At the end of the Civil War, Vedder left America to live in Italy.

He married Caroline Rosekrans on July 13, 1869 in Glen Falls, New York. Elihu Vedder and his wife had four children, only two of whom survived. His daughter Anita Herriman Vedder played a vital role in handling the business of her father, who was notorious for his general aloofness towards details. Elihu's son Enoch Rosekrans Vedder was a promising architect who married jewelry designer Angela Reston. Enoch died while visiting his parents in Italy on April 2, 1916. Elihu had a home in Rome and - after the financial success of his 1884 Rubaiyat work - on the Isle of Capri, then a haven for male aesthetes.

Vedder visited England many times, and was influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites, and was a friend of Simeon Solomon. He was also influenced by the work of English and Irish mystics such as William Blake and William Butler Yeats. In 1890 Vedder helped establish the In Arte Libertas group in Italy.

Tiffany commissioned him to design glassware, mosaics and statuettes for the company. He decorated the hallway of the Reading Room of the Washington Library of Congress, and his mural paintings can still be seen there.

Vedder occasionally returned to the United States, but lived only in Italy from 1906 until his death on January 29, 1923. He is buried in the Protestant Cemetery, Rome. There are no known living descendants of Elihu Vedder as both surviving children died without issue.

270 items

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Roman Campagna

Roman Campagna (circa 1868)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Landscape
Archway with Woman

Archway with Woman (circa 1865)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Landscape
Fishing Hut Off Pierhead, Viareggio, Italy

Fishing Hut Off Pierhead, Viareggio, Italy (1880)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Landscape
Modern Tombs, Aswan, Egypt

Modern Tombs, Aswan, Egypt (circa 1890)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Landscape
The Sphinx

The Sphinx (circa 1890)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Landscape
Wild Flowers (Thistles)

Wild Flowers (Thistles)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Landscape
Geese

Geese (circa 1865)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Animals
Roadside Figure and Umbrella

Roadside Figure and Umbrella (c. 1890)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Landscape
The Etruscan Sorceress

The Etruscan Sorceress (1886)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Mythology
Young Marsyas Charming the Hares

Young Marsyas Charming the Hares

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Mythology
Memory

Memory (1870)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Mythology
A Glimpse into Hell, or Fear

A Glimpse into Hell, or Fear (1888-98)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Mythology
The Phorcydes

The Phorcydes (circa 1864-68)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Mythology
Storm in Umbria

Storm in Umbria (1875)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Landscape
Japanese Still Life

Japanese Still Life (1879)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Still Life
Figure Study for Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

Figure Study for Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (c. 1884)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Illustration
Soul in Bondage

Soul in Bondage

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Mythology
Anarchy.

Anarchy. (1895)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Mythology
Corrupt legislation mural

Corrupt legislation mural (1898)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Mythology
Corrupt legislation

Corrupt legislation (1895)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Mythology
Design for Minerva

Design for Minerva (1896)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Mythology
Good administration mural

Good administration mural

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Mythology
Head of Minerva

Head of Minerva (1896)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Mythology
Peace and Prosperity mural

Peace and Prosperity mural (1895)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Mythology
Study for Anarchy

Study for Anarchy (1895)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Mythology
Study for Peace and prosperity

Study for Peace and prosperity (1895)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Mythology
Let me dream

Let me dream

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Illustration
The Fable of the Miller, His Son, and the Donkey No. 1

The Fable of the Miller, His Son, and the Donkey No. 1 (ca. 1867–68)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Figurative
The Fable of the Miller, His Son, and the Donkey No. 2

The Fable of the Miller, His Son, and the Donkey No. 2 (ca. 1867–68)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Figurative
The Fable of the Miller, His Son, and the Donkey No. 3

The Fable of the Miller, His Son, and the Donkey No. 3 (ca. 1867–68)

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923)
Figurative
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