Eric Pape (1870-1938)

Born in San Francisco, California, Eric Pape began his art education at the San Francisco School of Design before studying at the École De Beaux Arts in Paris with Jules Joseph Lefebvre and Jean-Léon Gérôme. Pape first exhibited at the Salon in 1890, and then spent two years traveling extensively in Egypt, where he was likely inspired to create Egyptian-themed frames for his paintings. Pape returned to America in 1894 and for the next four years was a regular illustrator at several magazines including The Century, Cosmopolitan, Scribner's and McClure's. By 1898 Pape settled in Boston, Massachusetts and founded the Eric Pape School of Art, at which he served for years as both Director and Head Instructor. Pape painted a group of Impressionist works in and around Massachusetts, of which Early Morning, Annisquam, Massachusetts is a striking example. The work demonstrates Pape's experience as both an illustrator and an Impressionist to create landscapes that combine dazzling color and graphic composition.