Many American artists traveled to Paris, France, to further their careers. Several of the American portraitists, realists, impressionists, and abstract artists that studied, lived, and worked in Paris, France during the late 19th and early 20th centuries wrote letters home to family and friends describing their lives there. One of these artists was Douglas Volk, and here you will find letters dating from his trip to Europe in 1919 to paint World War I leaders, as commissioned by the National Art Committee. He painted portraits of King Albert of Belgium, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, and General John J. Pershing.
Many American artists traveled to Paris, France, to further their careers. Several of the American portraitists, realists, impressionists, and abstract artists that studied, lived, and worked in Paris, France during the late 19th and early 20th centuries wrote letters home to family and friends describing their lives there. One of these artists was Douglas Volk, and here you will find letters dating from his trip to Europe in 1919 to paint World War I leaders, as commissioned by the National Art Committee. He painted portraits of King Albert of Belgium, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, and General John J. Pershing.
Painter and teacher Douglas Volk (1856-1935) was known for figure and portrait paintings. He moved to Paris in 1873 where he studied at the École des Beaux Arts with Jean-Léon Gérôme, and exhibited at the 1875 Paris Salon. He returned to the US in 1879 and taught at several art schools during the next decades while continuing to paint portraits.
Explore the fully digitized Douglas Volk and Leonard Wells Volk papers on the Archives of American Art website!