Edwin Howland Blashfield

Edwin Howland Blashfield (1848–1936) rose to prominence as a muralist during the “American Renaissance,” the period between the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and the United States’ entry into World War I. Blashfield’s monumental work can be viewed in courthouses, state capitols, churches, universities, museums, and other places across the United States. New scholarship highlights Blashfield’s contributions to the beauty of civic spaces and his lasting influence on public art in America.

The first book in decades to focus on the renowned muralist, this covers the artist as defender of the classical tradition, surveys his artistic production, observes the works from a conservator’s perspective, and discusses his legacy. It references Blashfield’s writing and leadership of numerous cultural organizations, as well as his paintings, in examining his efforts to codify the professional relationship between architects and artists and promote the blending of classic principles with American symbolism, history and contemporary realities.