Samuel Isham

Samuel Isham was born in New York City on May 12, 1855, and became known as an American portrait and figure painter. He studied at Yale and later trained in Paris, including work at the Académie Julian, before building his career in New York.

Alongside painting, Isham became an important writer on art. His book The History of American Painting, first published in 1905, helped shape how American art was understood in the early twentieth century and remained influential enough to be reissued after his death.

He was active in major art institutions of his day, including the Society of American Artists and the National Academy of Design, where he was eventually elected a full academician. Isham died on June 12, 1914, but he is still remembered both for his portraits and for helping tell the larger story of American painting.