Edmund Aylburton Willis (American, 1808-1899)

Oil on canvas, signed and dated: “1870”.

Born in Bristol, England on October 12, Willis drew acclaim as a landscape painter until his death at age 91. Adopting the United States as his homeland, Willis exhibited numerous times at the National Academy of Design. Of interest to note is that he exhibited under several different names: A. VanWillis from 1852-1862 and also as A.V. Willis in 1862. He was also known as Edmund van Willis.

He is listed in Who Was Who in American Art by Falk; The Dictionary of American Artists, Sculptors and Engravers by Young; and in the New York Historical Society's Dictionary of Artists in America 1564-1860 by Groce and Wallace.