Charles H. (Charles Henry) Caffin

Born in Sittingbourne, Kent, on June 4, 1854, Charles Henry Caffin studied at Magdalen College, Oxford, and began his working life in teaching and the theater. In the early 1890s he moved to the United States, where he became known as an art critic and writer with a gift for explaining art in clear, approachable language.

Caffin wrote widely on painting, sculpture, and photography, helping introduce many readers to both European traditions and newer American artists. He is especially remembered for books such as How to Study Pictures, American Masters of Painting, and Photography as a Fine Art, which brought serious art discussion to a broad audience without making it feel distant or academic.

He died on January 14, 1918. Today, he is remembered as one of the writers who helped shape popular art appreciation in America during a period of major cultural change.