Frederick Stone Batcheller
American, 1837 - 1889
(1837-1889) Although his family was disappointed by his choice of a career in art over music, Frederick Batcheller left an indelible legacy on the artistic development of Providence. He apprenticed with Tingley Brothers, marble carvers in Providence, as a marble cutter and later a sculptor of busts, but after 1855 turned to painting. With painters James Morgan Lewin, John N. Arnold, Thomas Robinson, and Marcus Waterman, Batcheller was a member of " the Group of 1855," one of the first groups to promote art in Providence. In 1880, Batcheller and colleagues Charles Walter Stetson and George William Whitaker met at Edward M. Bannister's studio to organize the Providence Art Club, which became the second-oldest art club in the country after New York's Salmagundi Club. Despite his artistic energy and enthusiasm, Batcheller was plagued by episodes of melancholy. His friend George Whitaker, calling him " the Romantic," noted the moody lapses during which Batcheller locked himself in his studio, playing violin. Today Batcheller is best remembered for his still life paintings, which are some of the finest produced by the renowned group of still life painters who flourished in the Fall River- Providence region in the late 19th century.
Biography courtesy of Roger King Gallery of Fine Art, www.antiquesandfineart.com/rking
Biography courtesy of Roger King Gallery of Fine Art, www.antiquesandfineart.com/rking
