Andrew Wyeth's Art Studio in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

Andrew Wyeth's Studio is

in this old School House.

He painted here from 1940 to 2008.

I AM WORKING SO

PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB

I do not sign autographs

Jamie Wyeth, Andrew's son,

 created this poster for

Senator Ted Kennedy's 1980

Presidential Campaign,

Our tour group in the kitchen

The Dining Room Table

Andrew Wyeth was born on July 12, 1917.  He is the youngest of N.C. and Carolyn Wyeth's children.  Sisters Henriette, Ann, and Carolyn became artists.  Nathaniel worked as a Mechanical Engineer and Inventor.

An N.C. Wyeth illustration

from Treasure Island hangs

above the fireplace.

Andrew was a sickly child and educated at home.

The film projector is

set up for viewing

Andrew, age 15, submitted drawings to an exhibition at the Delaware Arts Center in 1932.  Four years later he exhibited at the Art Alliance in Philadelphia.  In 1937 the Macbeth Gallery in New York City hosted his one-man exhibition of Water Color landscapes inspired by scenes in Maine. Andrew's paintings sold out on the second day.  

Twenty-year-old Andrew became a celebrity.  Though known as a realistic painter, Andrew considered himself an "abstractionist."  While his subjects are recognizable, he sought to capture the underlying essence of the scene, pushing beyond basic representation.  

Shelves filled with books

& photos fill the wall.

 

Andrew and Betsy married in 1940.  Betsy scheduled their time carefully to allow time for Andrew to take walks to gather ideas for his work and to spend time alone to paint.  She discouraged Andrew from taking illustration jobs during "lean times," when his pieces were selling slowly.  Betsy became Andrew's business manager, curator, and promoter.

Their children are Nicholas and Jamie.  Nicholas is an Art Dealer.  Jamie is an artist. 

Sketches & paintings of

a dog sitting next to 

a farm outbuilding.

These sketches and paintings show Andrew's technical skills, which are often commented upon.  

This mirror is positioned to show Andrew's painting of the dog

sitting near the farm outbuilding.

His father, N.C. Wyeth died in 1945.   After that life-altering event, Andrew stopped painting landscapes and turned his focus to portraits.

To Have & To Hold contains

illustrations by Howard Pyle, 

a major influence in 

N.C. Wyeth's work.

A window allows the artist

to work in natural light.

In 1963 Andrew Wyeth became the first artist to receive The Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor.  

This is where Andrew Wyeth

mixed Tempra Paint. 

Egg yolks are mixed with dry

pigment to create the fast-

drying paint.

Andrew's palate has cups

for his Tempra Paints.

A painting of a man in

a black leather jacket.

Andrew Wyeth's work has been studied and analyzed throughout his long career.  Over time, his descriptions and interpretations of his work evolved.

He died on January 16, 2009 at his home in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.

N.C. Wyeth's Home & Studio in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

N.C. Wyeth's House & Studio

The artist purchased 18 acres of land in Chadds Ford in 1911 with proceeds from his Illustrations of Treasure Island.  Here is the house and Art Studio. It was designated a National Historic Site in 1997.  

The spacious Living Room

The Dining Room &

Side Board

Before entering the Studio, it's important to get to know the artist.

Newell Convers "N.C." Wyeth was born on October 22, 1882, in Needham, Massachusetts, and developed a deep love of nature.  His father wanted him to pursue a career that focused on practical skills.  Acceding to his father's wishes, N.C. attended Mechanics Arts School in Boston to take Drafting Classes in 1899.  With his mother's encouragement, N.C.. he later transferred to Massachusetts Normal Art School.  Instructor William Andrew encouraged the young man to consider Illustration.  N.C. studied with Eric Pape and Charles W. Reed before painting with George L. Noyes.

Friends encouraged the young artist to travel to Wilmington, Delaware to study at the Howard Pyle School of Art.  Pyle influenced him greatly and N.C. Wyeth's skills.  

In 1906 he married Carolyn Brenneman Boikus.  

N.C.'s artwork earned him a contract with Charles Scribner Sons Publishers to illustrate Treasure Island, published in 1911. 

This is a copy of Funeral Island.

It is painted in the modern style.

N.C. Wyeth used a slide

projector in his work.

The Senior Wyeth had windows

installed to allow him to work

in natural lighting.

N.C. continued to illustrate books for Scribners.  Among the most famous titles are:  Kidnapped (1913), Last of the Mohicans (1919), and The Yearling (1939).

He illustrated Robin Hood for David McKay (1917), Robinson Crusoe for Cosmopolitan (1920), Rip Van Winkle for David McKay (1921). Men of Concord for Houghton Mifflin (1936), and Trending into Maine for Little, Brown (1938).

His desk & work

coveralls.

They are heavily

splattered with

paint.

N.C. Wyeth also enjoyed success as a muralist.  In 1940 he created two Civil War battle scenes for the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City; the Federal Reserve Bank and the First National Bank in n Boston; the Roosevelt Hotel and the Franklin Savings Bank in New York City; the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C., and other commissions.  Most of the murals still exist, but are no longer in their original sites.

A palate & artist tools

sit on a wooden

drafting table.

The Palate has old paint on it.  N.C.'s notes:

Do Not Use 

 October -- 18 -- 1945

_CiL___yeth

Chadds Ford, Pa.

The Senior Wyeth also illustrated ads for Aunt Jemima, Coca-Cola, General Electric, Steinway and Sons, and other products.  He also provided illustrations for calendars and posters for New York Life Insurance, Morrell and Company, and the Pennsylvania Railroad.  During World War II, N.C. contributed patriotic images to Government Agencies and The Red Cross.

A Still Life of a Jug,

 a Brown Bottle &

a Blue & White Cup

A Birch Bark Canoe sits

against one wall of this

large space.

A photo of N.C. & a 

painting of a Naval

Ship

This stairway on wheels was

moved as necessary when

the artist painted oversized

works.

A better shot of the 

painting next to the

stairway.

Details were important to N.C. Wyeth's artwork:

One of his Prop Rooms

A Western Saddle,

frames for his Art,

& more props

The Rifle Collection

The view of the Studio's

largest window.

N.C. Wyeth died on October 19,1945.  His car was hit by a freight train at a railroad crossing in Chadds Ford.  

The Brandywine Museum of Art in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

The Brandywine

 Museum of Art

This renovated 19th-century

Mill sits next to...

the Brandywine Creek.

This fertile valley is the heart of gardening in Southeastern Pennsylvania and has inspired many artists. 

The Wyeth family: N.C. Wyeth and his son, Andrew Wyeth, and Andrew's son, Jamie Wyeth made Chadds Ford their home and painted here.

N.C. Wyeth is best known

for his illustrations.

Brandywine Valley Farmers

on the cover of Country

Gentleman Magazine, 1944.

The endpapers of Robert

Lewis Stevenson's

Treasure Island, 1911.  

The Boy's King Arthur,

1917.

Andrew Wyeth's painting style is very different from his father's.  His Water Color and Tempra paintings are described as realistic, with hidden metaphors alluding to memory, nostalgia, and loss.

The Children's Doctor

depicts Dr. Margaret

Handy deep in thought

& dressed in her coat,

carrying her medical 

to see patients.

1949

Nogeeshuk

A member of the Ojibwe of

Walpole Island First Nation

in Ontario

1972

Andrew's son, Jamie continues the family's artistic legacy as a painter.

Frolic honors George A.

"Frolic" Weymouth, a

close friend & a founding

member of the Brandywine

Museum of Art.

2016

Portrait of a Pig

Den Den listened to

Classical Music while

Jamie painted her.

1970 

Currently on Exhibition:

Tell Me a Story Where the Bad Girl Wins: 

The Life and Art of Barbara Shurmand 

Barbara Shermund, born in 1899, attended the California School and Fine Arts before moving to New York City and becoming one of the first female Cartoonists at The New Yorker in 1925. 

"How do I look, Grandpa?"

"Very nice, dear."

"NICE."

Shermund's sly humor depicts Female Power (first-wave feminism) in the early to mid-20th century.

"Evelyn, speak respectfully

to your father!"

"Oh Mother, don't be so

pre-war!"

"Don't sigh with relief yet -

I'm not finished!"

"Don't bother to introduce us -

we'll just mill around."

But wait, there's more...  N.C. Wyeth and Andrew Wyeth's homes and studios are nearby and available for tours.

The Kennett Library in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

The new Kennett Library is

located in downtown Kennett

 Square, near the YMCA.

It opened in 2023 and it offers many Library Services and Events for Chester County Residents of all ages.

A statue of a Cello Player

sits near the Main Door.

What is life without 

music?

The large Meeting Room is

welcoming.

 

This Gallery Space is

dedicated to public

Art Works.

The TV lists upcoming

Library Programs.

The Train Set represents

Railroad History in

Chester County.

Magazines

I love the Seed Library.

This Card Catalog offers

space for residents to share

seeds; promote gardening

& the benefits of growing

affordable, nutritious foods.

Displays & shelving

beneath the staircase

I am delighted to see 

open space for more

shelving & furniture,

as needed.

Orange you glad to

see these books?

This is a great display!

A handy way to recycle

Library Tote Bags

The Adult 3D Printing

Lab

I would like instructions

before touching any

of the equipment.

The Children's Area 

Dolly Parton's Imagination

Library connects young

children with books.

Explore beneath

The Tree of Knowledge

The spacious Children's

Play Area

The 3D Printing Lab

for Children

Eric leaves a message on

the White Board before

we leave...

A small Meeting Room is

being used for studying.

Looking down from the

stairway at a Computer &

Adult Seating.

The new Kennett Library is built to serve Chester County now and for many, many years to come.