Edwin Graves Champney was born in Boston, MA on August 24, 1842. He was the son of George M. Champney and Lucy (Brown) Champney, and he was raised in nearby Woburn. From a young age, Edwin showed a strong artistic inclination and began his formal artistic training under the guidance of his uncle, Benjamin Champney. Together, they sketched and painted in the North Conway area and elsewhere about New Hampshire’s White Mountains.
In the early 1870s, Edwin Champney traveled to Europe with fellow artist Harold Fletcher. The two studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, and later in Paris. This European training influenced and refined his painting style, especially regarding his attention to natural light and atmosphere.
After spending several years abroad, Champney returned to the Boston area. He became active in the Boston Art Club, and he exhibited there in 1874, 1876-1877, 1880-1882, and 1885. At least two of these paintings were of White Mountain subjects — Old Road, Conway and Artist Falls. During May of 1890, two receptions were held at the home of Mrs. Martha Perry Lowe in Somerville, MA, to showcase Edwin Champney’s oil paintings. Champney’s work was also known to have been displayed at the Williams & Everett Gallery in Boston.
In 1880, Champney married Martha A. Capron of Worcester. The couple had two children and after residing at the old Monroe Tavern in Lexington for many years, in 1895, the family settled in Arlington Heights, MA. During this period, Champney reunited with his old friend, Harold Fletcher, performing professional art restoration. He became well recognized for his ability to retouch skies with great subtlety. Later in his career, he taught at the Boston Art Museum.
Though Champney had long suffered from anemia, his death at the age of 57, on September 25, 1899, came unexpectedly. His funeral was held at his Arlington Heights home, and attended by many friends and fellow artists. Champney was laid to rest in the family burial plot at Woodbrook Cemetery, in Woburn, MA.
Funeral Notice
Boston Evening Transcript, Wednesday, September 27, 1899
Signatures
References
The Boston Art Club Exhibition Record
Independent research by the authors
Who Was Who in American Art