Edward Emerson Simmons (1852-1931)
N.B. Edward Simmons was born in 1852 in Concord, Massachusetts. The nephew of renowned author Ralph Waldo Emerson, Simmons became fond of art, literature, and music at an early age. After graduating from Harvard with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1874, Emerson secured a job for Simmons at the San Francisco Chronicle as a drama critic. Although he stayed on the West Coast only briefly, he did meet and befriend painter Thomas Hill while he was there. Simmons returned to Boston where he met artist William Rimmer, who encouraged Simmons to travel and study in Europe. By 1878, Simmons was enrolled in the Academie Julian and was awarded an honorable mention at the 1882 Paris Salon. He became a member of The Ten American painters in 1898. Simmons’ work is included in the collections of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Terra Museum of Fine Art, Chicago. He also painted murals in several government buildings, including the Massachusetts State House.
Information courtesy of Skinner Inc., March 2004.