Elmer Livingston MacRae
American, 1875 - 1953
BiographyElmer Livingston MacRae (1875-1953) was an American visual artist. Born in New York City, he studied at the Art Students League of New York in Manhattan, with Robert Blum, John Henry Twachtman, H. Siddons Mowbray and James Carroll Beckwith.
In 1889, John Henry Twachtman, American Impressionist and instructor at the Art Students League of New York, settled in Greenwich, Connecticut; shortly thereafter, he began teaching summer classes in Cos Cob. MacRae spent the summer in Cos Cob in 1896, taking a class in outdoor painting. While there, he stayed at the Bush-Holley House, a 1730s-era saltbox whose owners operated it as a boardinghouse for artists and writers. He met and fell in love with the daughter of the house, Constant Holley, and divided his time between New York and Cos Cob until 1899, when he moved to Connecticut permanently. MacRae and Holley were married in 1900, and their twin daughters, Constant and Clarissa, were born on October 31, 1904.
A realist painter who was influenced by impressionism and Japonism, MacRae worked frequently in pastels and wood carvings. His wife and daughters were often portrayed as subjects in his works, as were Cos Cob flowers and landscapes. He succeeded Twachtman as the head of the Cos Cob art colony, and he and his wife continued to operate the the Bush-Holley House as a residence for artists through the 1920s. MacRae was one of the founders of the American Pastel Society and, as part of the Association of American Painters and Sculptors, helped organize the influential Armory Show, which was the first large exhibition of modern art in the United States.
In 1889, John Henry Twachtman, American Impressionist and instructor at the Art Students League of New York, settled in Greenwich, Connecticut; shortly thereafter, he began teaching summer classes in Cos Cob. MacRae spent the summer in Cos Cob in 1896, taking a class in outdoor painting. While there, he stayed at the Bush-Holley House, a 1730s-era saltbox whose owners operated it as a boardinghouse for artists and writers. He met and fell in love with the daughter of the house, Constant Holley, and divided his time between New York and Cos Cob until 1899, when he moved to Connecticut permanently. MacRae and Holley were married in 1900, and their twin daughters, Constant and Clarissa, were born on October 31, 1904.
A realist painter who was influenced by impressionism and Japonism, MacRae worked frequently in pastels and wood carvings. His wife and daughters were often portrayed as subjects in his works, as were Cos Cob flowers and landscapes. He succeeded Twachtman as the head of the Cos Cob art colony, and he and his wife continued to operate the the Bush-Holley House as a residence for artists through the 1920s. MacRae was one of the founders of the American Pastel Society and, as part of the Association of American Painters and Sculptors, helped organize the influential Armory Show, which was the first large exhibition of modern art in the United States.
Person TypeIndividual
American, 1822 - 1909
