Edwardian Dreams by Charles Courtney Curran

Charles Courtney Curran, 1909
Charles Courtney Curran

Charles Courtney Curran was an American artist best known for paintings of Victorian and Edwardian women in graceful flowing dresses set against expansive romantic landscapes.

Many American artists spent time in Paris in the 19th century, and Curran was no exception. Paris was the center of the art world. To experience Paris was considered essential to American artists with a dream—a dream to excel at what they loved to do.

It’s not difficult to see the influence of French Impressionists like Monet

The Promenade, Woman with a Parasol by Claude Monet , 1875
The Promenade, Woman with a Parasol by Claude Monet , 1875

His paintings are compared with fellow American Impressionists who also spent time in Paris—Mary Cassatt, Edmund Charles Tarbell, and Frank Weston Benson. And it’s not difficult to see the influence of French Impressionists like Monet—especially works like The Promenade, Woman with a Parasol (1875).

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Key Facts about Charles Courtney Curran

  • 1500 works in his career, mostly oil paintings, some watercolors and illustrations for magazines.
  • Born in Hartford, Kentucky in 1861 but grew up on the shores of Lake Erie, Ohio.
  • Trained at the Fine Arts Academy of Cincinnati, the National Academy in New York City, and Académie Julian in Paris.
  • Traveled extensively—living in Paris, frequently visiting Europe and even China.
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Imagine you are there gazing at the magnificent views from the heights of the Shawangunk Mountains in New York state.

The Gallery

Summer by Charles Courtney Curran - 1906
Summer – 1906
The West Wind by Charles Courtney Curran - 1918
The West Wind – 1918
Sunshine and Haze by Charles Courtney Curran - Date unknown
Sunshine and Haze – Date unknown
Sunny Morning by Charles Courtney Curran - 1916
Sunny Morning – 1916
September Afternoon by Charles Courtney Curran - 1913
September Afternoon – 1913
Lotus Lilies by Charles Courtney Curran - 1888
Lotus Lilies – 1888
Ladies on a Hill by Charles Courtney Curran - 1914
Ladies on a Hill – 1914
Among the Laurel Blossoms by Charles Courtney Curran - 1914
Among the Laurel Blossoms – 1914
The Edge of the Woods by Charles Courtney Curran - 1912
The Edge of the Woods – 1912
Ragged Clouds by Charles Courtney Curran - 1922
Ragged Clouds – 1922
Path of Flowers by Charles Courtney Curran - 1919
Path of Flowers – 1919
The Cabbage Field by Charles Courtney Curran - 1914
The Cabbage Field – 1914
Woman on the Top of a Mountain by Charles Courtney Curran - 1912
Woman on the Top of a Mountain – 1912
The Boulder by Charles Courtney Curran - 1919
The Boulder – 1919
The Hilltop Walk by Charles Courtney Curran - 1927
The Hilltop Walk – 1927
On the Cliff by Charles Courtney Curran - 1910
On the Cliff – 1910
On the Heights by Charles Courtney Curran - 1909
On the Heights – 1909
A Spray of Goldenrod by Charles Courtney Curran - 1916
A Spray of Goldenrod – 1916
Blue Delphiniums by Charles Courtney Curran - Date unknown
Blue Delphiniums – Date unknown
Peach Blossoms by Charles Courtney Curran - 1891
Peach Blossoms – 1891
May Breeze by Charles Courtney Curran - Date unknown
May Breeze – Date unknown
Summer Clouds by Charles Courtney Curran - 1917
Summer Clouds – 1917
Three Women by Charles Courtney Curran - 1894
Three Women – 1894
A Breezy Day by Charles Courtney Curran - 1887
A Breezy Day – 1887
In the Luxembourg Garden by Charles Courtney Curran - 1889
In the Luxembourg Garden – 1889
Lady with a Bouquet by Charles Courtney Curran - 1890
Lady with a Bouquet – 1890