Born to Danish parents, Portraitist Ernest Ipsen studied at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School under Frederick P. Vinton. In all likelihood, his Scandinavian heritage contributed to his decision to enter the Danish Royal Academy in Copenhagen around 1887. During his four years at the Royal Academy his instructors included Carl Bloch.
After returning to the United States in 1891, Ipsen quickly established an extremely successful career as a portraitist. Among his best known works are those of William HowardÿTaft as Chief Justice, General Robert E. Lee as commander of the Confederate forces, Elihu Root as president of the Century Association, Thomas W. Slocum, president of Harvard College. Ipsen's portrait of Dr. Maurice Francis Egan, U.S. Minister to Denmark, was presented to the King and Queen of Denmark. His oeuvre also includes marines and landscapes of Danmark, as well as depcitions of the eastern coastal region of the United States.
The artist was a member of several organizations, among them the National Arts Club, the Allied Artist of America, the Century Association and the Salmagundi Club.
In 1938, Ipsen moved to Coconut Groves, Florida, following an automobile accident imparied the health of his wife Edith Boyden Crocker. Ipsen exhibited and lectured around the Miami area, painting until just before his death.
