Rare Chandler The Wayside Inn. Original Frame $500.00
WILLIAM H. CHANDLER
Rare Black and White picture by William H. Chandler. Interestingly the woman and horse theme is seen in picture executed by Chandler
There is a date on this but it is under the frame. I believe it was 1898 or 1908.
About the artist
About William Henry Chandler...known as America’s Foremost Pastel Artist.
William Henry Chandler (1854-1928) was born on June 9, 1854, in New York City.
One of seven children born to Mr. & Mrs. Asa Byram Chandler, they lived in Elizabeth NJ, East Orange NJ, and Summit NJ as he was growing up. Born into a deeply religious Christian household, William displayed an interest in art during his youth but had other interests as well. A hunting accident early in his life left him with a lifelong limp. And a strong religious belief remained with him for his entire life. As a young man Chandler moved to Chicago and obtained artistic work as a cameo engraver in a pearl button manufacturing business. While in Chicago he met and married his first wife, Jennie Freeman. Together they had three children (Kathleen, Annabel, and Nellie). Tragedy struck the Chandler household hard as Nellie died when only a few months old. And then Chandler’s wife Jennie died shortly thereafter from typhoid fever. With his wife gone and two remaining children to raise, Chandler returned to northern New Jersey where he lived for the rest of his life and raised his daughters with the help of his sister. The Art of William Henry Chandler Starting around 1887 Chandler began producing his original art as an alternative to the larger-scale print runs of Currier & Ives, Taber-Prang, and other major print-makers of the time. Chandler operated under the trade name of “W.H. Chandler and Co.” in New York City’s Lower Manhattan, a business that he ran with his brother, Frank Chandler (1857-1912). William Chandler was responsible for creating the original art while Frank was responsible for the framing, packing, shipping, and at times, for retail and wholesale art sales. This is an incredible collectible the frame is in remarkable condition considering its age. These frames are often badly damaged. Marks you see on the glass are gold paint. The original owners must have touched this up.
His artworks are now highly collectible and selling in the thousands at auction.
The Art of William Henry Chandler
Starting around 1887 Chandler began producing his original art as an alternative to the larger-scale print runs of Currier & Ives, Taber-Prang, and other major print-makers of the time. Chandler operated under the trade name of "W.H. Chandler and Co." in New York City's Lower Manhattan, a business that he ran with his brother, Frank Chandler (1857-1912). William Chandler was responsible for creating the original art while Frank was responsible for the framing, packing, shipping, and at times, for retail and wholesale art sales. Although his business started small, it eventually grew to where he was employing nearly 20 people at its peak.
Most artistic work took place in a large open room called "The Loft" where up to 20 easels were usually set up at any given time. A variety of employees could be working on up to 3 easels concurrently. Some artists worked directly in the studio while others worked out of their homes on a per-picture basis. The vast majority of the studio's output was in the form of pastel chalk art, although oils, watercolors, and charcoals were occasionally sold as well.
The chalk used on Chandler pastels was imported from France in a variety of colors. A Chandler employee then blended these imported colors into a wide variety of bright and pleasing pastel colors, adding a bonding liquid, and then molding the chalks into easily-usable pastel sticks. The same employee prepped the various sized pastel boards before use, preparing them with glue and sand so the final pastel colors would adhere better. After the picture was completed by the artist, it would be sprayed with a fixative to help the chalk to adhere better, and then usually sent to be framed by Frank.
Most Chandler pastels come in the form of landscapes. Although supposedly modeled after the rivers and mountains of New York or New England, in my opinion many seem to be modeled after places much farther away. Most landscapes feature some form of water such as a lake, stream, river, or waterfalls. Mountains were usually included, often with another focal point such as a cabin, house, trees, mill, boats, cottages, etc. Flying birds or sailboats were often added in the distance for visual effect.
Chandler's most uncommon scenes include such topics as floral still life’s, fruit bowls, and hanging wild game such as fish or rabbits. We have even seen a still life with a fish bowl on a table. Chandler ocean seascapes and foreign scenes are also considered rare.
Chandler pastels were sold through art stores, art dealers, gift shops and department stores such as Marshall Fields, Sears, Higbee's and The May Company in the United States, and through Simpson's, Eaton's, and Hudson Bay in Canada. Chandler prints were sold through the Taber-Prang print catalog and through various calendar and print publishers. Initial sales contacts were made by Frank Chandler, other sales representatives, and often by Chandler himself.
As his reputation grew Chandler exhibited his work at the 1900-01 International Exposition in Paris. His name appeared on the membership list of the prestigious Century Association of New York, among other professional groups. A signed Chandler pastel even hangs today in the Royal British Columbia Museum Parliament Buildings in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Between 1917-1918 Chandler spent a limited time in Canada producing his work. Apparently around that time Canada had levied a 25% import tax on certain American goods which made it prohibitively expensive to import certain goods from the U.S. into Canada. Some American businesses attempted to set up a Canadian subsidiary in order to avoid this import tax (e.g., Wallace Nutting briefly set up a Canadian operation). However, Chandler's Canadian operation was short- lived and he returned to New York after only a few months.
