John La Farge

Born in New York City on March 31, 1835, John La Farge became one of the most wide-ranging American artists of his era. He studied law at first, then turned seriously to art, including study in Europe and later work with the painter William Morris Hunt. Over time he built a career that stretched across easel painting, mural decoration, interior design, book illustration, and writing.

La Farge is especially remembered for his stained glass. Major commissions, including work for Trinity Church in Boston, brought him wide attention, and he became known for rich color, layered effects, and an inventive approach that influenced American decorative art. Museums and reference works also note how fully he belonged to the broader American Renaissance, when artists were trying to give public buildings and churches a more ambitious visual life.

He was also an active author and traveler. His journeys in Japan, Samoa, Tahiti, and other parts of Asia and the Pacific inspired books and paintings that introduced many readers to places they would never see themselves. He died on November 14, 1910, in Providence, Rhode Island, leaving behind a body of work that still feels unusually varied, curious, and alive.