Untitled Landscape (Windmill)

Clawson Shakespeare Hammitt (1857-1927)

Oil on canvas

Gift of Charles and Frances Almond

Clawson Shakespeare Hammitt was a well-known artist and teacher in Wilmington during his lifetime, but has since fallen into relative obscurity. As a teacher, he was involved in the first art school of Delaware, where he trained a generation of the state’s visual artists. While he was student, he worked under famous artists including Thomas Eakins, William Merritt Chase, and Thomas Anshutz. Hammitt also spent time in France studying at the Académie Julian. His body of work features notable Delaware landscapes and important figures and serves as a record of the state’s history during the artist’s lifetime. Hammitt’s depiction of scenes using subtle, light colors evoke the “untouched,” scenic parts of Delaware, past and present.

For Further Thinking: Why do you think so many artists, like Hammitt, decided to study in France?

Are there any other cultural, international exchanges like this that happen today?