Abbott Handerson Thayer | |
|---|---|
 Thayer c. 1890 | |
| Born | August 12, 1849 |
| Died | May 29, 1921 (aged 71) |
| Known for | Painting, Camouflage |
| Notable work | Angel (painting) Concealing-Coloration in the Animal Kingdom (book) |
| Family | Thayer family |
Abbott Handerson Thayer (August 12, 1849 – May 29, 1921) was an American painter, naturalist, and teacher. As a painter of portraits, figures, animals, and landscapes, he enjoyed a certain prominence during his lifetime,[1] and his paintings are represented in major American art collections. He is perhaps best known for his 'angel' paintings, some of which use his children as models.
During the last third of his life, he worked together with his son, Gerald Handerson Thayer, on a book about protective coloration in nature, titled Concealing-Coloration in the Animal Kingdom. First published by Macmillan in 1909, then reissued in 1918, it may have had an effect on military camouflage during World War I.[2] However it was roundly mocked by Theodore Roosevelt and others for its assumption that all animal coloration is cryptic.[3]
Thayer also influenced American art through his efforts as a teacher, training apprentices in his New Hampshire studio.
- ^ . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 26 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 728.
- ^ "Camouflage". BBC Radio 4. 16 March 2017.
- ^ Roosevelt, Theodore (1911). "Revealing and concealing coloration in birds and mammals". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 30 (Article 8): 119–231. hdl:2246/470.