Thomas Cromwell Corner (1865–1938) was a portrait artist from Baltimore, Maryland, United States, and founding member of the Baltimore Museum of Art.
Early years Thomas Cromwell Corner was born in Baltimore to William and Camilla Corner on February 2, 1865.“T.C. Corner, Artist, Dies Unexpectedly: Embolism Proves Fatal after Fracture of Arm in Fall.” 5 Sept. 1938. The Sun, 14 As a seventeen-year-old student at Baltimore City College, Corner became interested in painting and studied under George B. Way, a local landscape painter.J.G.D. Paul, “An Appreciation.”Thomas Cromwell Corner: An Appreciation. A Memoir. An Alphabetical and Chronological Index of the Portraits Painted and Forty-Nine Reproductions. John Henry Scarff, ed. (Baltimore: Privately Printed, 1940) He then went on to further his education at the Maryland Institute College of Art and Art Students League in New York under J. Alden Weir and Kenyon Cox before enrolling in the Acadêmie Julian in the fall of 1888.“Maryland Artists from the Collection, 1890-1970.” While in Paris, Corner attended classes led by Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant, Jules Joseph Lefebvre, Gabriel Ferrier, and François Flameng. In 1891, he exhibited a portrait at the salon.“Thomas Cromwell Corner,” Painting and Sculpture in the Collection of the National Academy of Design (Manchester, Vermont: The National Academy of Design, 2001), 115.
Career
In 1892 he returned to Baltimore where he began a career as a portrait artist. Corner is most known for his portraits of prominent businessmen,“Art Museum Gets $100,000: Thomas C. Corner, Artist, Left Estate in Trust.” 17 May 1962. The Sun, 15 and he also painted other notable members of society including William Osler, William H. Welch, Henry Walters, Edward Cooper, the Mayor of New York, and Reverend Edward G. Helfenstein, the Bishop of Maryland. His portrait of Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes is in the New York State Capitol and his portrait of Governor Edwin Warfield is in the Annapolis State House. Corner's works are also held by The Baltimore Museum of Art, the Maryland Historical Society, and the Enoch Pratt Free Library.Glenn McNatt, “Art of the State: A Baltimore Museum of Art Exhibit Catches Up with the Works of Some Familiar and Some Not-So-Familiar Maryland Artists from the Post-Impressionist Era Forward.” 1 May 2002. The Sun. Michael J. Deas, “Thomas C. Corner,” The Portraits and Daguerreotypes of Edgar Allan Poe, 1989. Last Updated 27 Apr. 2011. During his lifetime Corner often exhibited his paintings at the University Club of Johns Hopkins University.”21 Portraits Meet Subjects at Party at University Club.” 17 Apr. 1936. Baltimore Morning Sun
Community presence
Corner served on the City-Wide Congress Committee on Founding an Art Museum (1911–1914) as well as on the first board of trustees of the Baltimore Museum of Art.The Baltimore Museum of Art, Annual 1 The Museum: Its First Half Century (Baltimore, Maryland: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1966), 3 As both an artist and trustee of The Baltimore Museum of Art, Corner was able to act as an emissary between the realm of the museum and the world of artists.J. Gilman D’Arcy Paul, “Thomas C. Corner Memorial Exhibition. Mar. 24-Apr. 16, 1939.” The Baltimore Museum of Art. He was well respected and valuable to the accessions committee of the Baltimore Museum of Art due to his wide background in and knowledge of the field.”Art Museum Gets $100,000: Thomas C. Corner, Artist, Left Estate in Trust.” 17 May 1962. The Sun, 15 In addition to his role at the Baltimore Museum of Art, Corner also was a long-time member of the Charcoal Club of Baltimore as well as the president of the Maryland Institute Alumni Association. MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society holds six paintings by Corner in their art collection, including one of Sir William Osler, MD.
External references "Blanchard Randall Papers, 1914-1969" <https://artbma.org/documents/findingAids/BMA_Board-of-Trustees-Records.pdf> "Thomas Cromwell Corner (American, 1865-1938)" <http://www.the-athenaeum.org/people/detatail.php?ID==615> "The Annapolis Complex Collection: A Wealth of Maryland History." 2002. Maryland State Archives. <http://www.msa.md.gov/megafile/msa/stagsere/se1/se14/000027/html/hesitant_revolut/msa/speccol/sc1500/sc1545/e_catalog_2002/corner.html> "Galleries during Pope Building Opening, The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1929." <http://cdm15264.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15264coll5/id/10/rec/1> Mike Giuliano, "Old Lines: BMA's Maryland Artists Exhibit Settles No Arguments" City Paper5 Jun. 2002<http://www2.citypaper.com/arts/story.asp?id=3844> "Corner's Art to be Exhibited Here This Week" 8 Nov. 1936. The Sun. M.S.P., "A Tribute to Thomas C. Corner" 13 Sept. 1938. Baltimore Morning Sun. "Mr.Corner Exhibits at University Club" Gardens, Houses & People.Dec., 1936, 40.
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