Lewis Henry Meakin (American, 1850-1917) was born in 1850 in Newcastle, England.  His family first emgirated to Canada in 1860, and then to Cincinnati. Meakin studied at the McMicken School of Design and the Art Academy under T.S. Noble and then went on to Munich from 1882-1886 where he studied uder Nikolous Gysis and Ludwig Loefftz.  After studying in Europe, he became a lifelong teacher at the Art Academy of Cincinnati until his death.  He is recognized as an important Midwest landscapist, who began working in a Tonalist manner, and then moved toward Impressionism around the turn of the century.  Meakin enjoyed painting outdoors and traveled widely in the summers.  In 1891, he painted in Gloucester and Camden, and in 1893-94 he was with William Picknell in Paris, Normandy and Southern France.  In 1911-1917, he was a curator for the Cincinnati Art Museum.  George Bellows considered him to be "one of the best landscape painters in America".

Studied

McMicken School of Design 1877-81; Art Academy of Cincinnati with T.S. Noble; in Munich with Raupp, Gysis & Loeffts, 1882-86, 1890; Duveneck, 1891; Paris

Member

ANA, 1914; SWA (founder, pres.); Cincinnati AC; SC; Pan-Pac. Expo., San Francisco, 1915 (jury member)

Exhibited

McMicken School of Design 1877-82; Cincinnati Indust. Expo, 1881; PAFA Ann., 1892-1916; Boston AC, 1885, 1896; NAD, 1892-95; Cincinnati AM, 1894-1916,1936,1942; AIC, 1895-1916; Carnegie Inst., 1896-98, 1901, 1903-04, 1913; SWA, 1897-1913, 1906 (prize); Cincinnati AC, 1902; St. LouisExpo, 1904 (silver); Columbus Gal., FA, 1924; AIC, 1907; Corcoran Gal. biennials,1907-16 (6 times); NAC; St. Botolphe Cl., Boston; Pratt Institute, 1907 (solo); Appalachian Expo., Knoxville, 1911 (silver); Chicago, 1911 (prize); Exh. Am. Art, Berlin, 1914; Corcoran Gal., 1914; Univ. Cincinnati, 1968; Cincinnati Art Gal., 1987 (respective)

Work

Cincinnati Art Museum; Indianapolis AA; AIC

References

WW15; R. Boyle, exh. cat., Cincinnati Art Galleries (1987); Cincinnati Painters of the Golden Age; Falk, Exh. Record Series