Francis Chapin

Who was Francis Chapin?

Francis W. Chapin was an American artist. His works included both watercolors and oil paintings of landscapes and portraits.

He was born in Bristolville, Ohio. He graduated from Washington and Jefferson College, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta, in 1921. A year later he enrolled at the Art Institute of Chicago where he spent six years and won the Bryan Lathrop Fellowship in his last year. He chose to remain in Chicago where he became known as the “Dean of Chicago Painters.” It wasn't until 1929 when he hosted his first pair of one-man shows.

Chapin was an instructor at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1929 to 1947. In 1932, Chapin was approached by Grant Wood and accepted a faculty position at the Stone City Art Colony, where he taught lithography for two summers. From 1934 to 1938, he taught at Art Institute of Chicago's summer art school at Saugatuck, Michigan, and he served as director of the summer school from 1941 to 1945. He was also the Artist-in-Residence at the Old Sculpin Gallery on Martha's Vineyard for many years. In 1951, he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member, and became a full member in 1953.