February 2016

 

Thomas Bayley Lawson (self-portrait shown above) was an American painter and a co-founder and the first President of the Lowell Art Association, Inc. The Lowell Art Association was founded in 1878, and established the Whistler House Museum of Art in 1908 as its permanent home.

Things you may not have known about Lawson:

• He was a native of Newburyport, MA, born in 1807.
• He established one of the first permanent art studios in Lowell in 1842.
• In 1844 a group of Lowell citizens, who were members of the Whig Party, financed a trip for Lawson to Washington to paint Daniel Webster, Secretary of State.
• In the 1870’s, he was commissioned to paint the portraits of Lowell’s early mayors.
• He is noted for his portraits and still life paintings. The WHMA has 9 works of his art in its permanent collection.

 

  

Tokay Grapes                                         Red and Yellow Grapes