Martin Johnson Heade (1819-1904)
Solebury Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Noted artist and cofounder of the "luminist" style of landscape painting. Also known for his hummingbird studies and floral still lifes. He first studied with Edward and Thomas Hicks in Newtown. Born & raised here; family owned the store across the street.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Born here in Bucks County in 1819, Martin Johnson Heade grew up above his family's store and took his first lessons from the local Quaker painters Edward and Thomas Hicks in nearby Newtown. He went on to help pioneer American "luminism," a style prized for its still, glowing light over marshes and coasts, and became famous for jewel-like studies of hummingbirds and floral still lifes. His long career carried him across the Americas in pursuit of his subjects.
Why it matters
Heade stands among the distinctive voices of 19th-century American landscape art, and his rise from a rural store to national renown reflects the era's flowering of a homegrown artistic tradition.
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Related people
- · Martin Johnson Heade
- · Edward Hicks
- · Thomas Hicks
Themes & tags
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