1865 - 1940
Born of German parents, Henry Prellwitz attended the City College of New York from 1879 to 1882. Although he applied to the schools of the National Academy of Design, his drawings were rejected by Lemuel Wilmarth. He enrolled in the Art Students' League under Thomas Dewing from the years 1882 to 1887. Dewing was perhaps the major influence on Prellwitz's art. During the summer of 1885, he worked in Dewing's studio by invitation. The following summer, Prellwitz executed decorative drawings for the office of Stanford White. In 1887, he spent time with Dewing in Cornish, New Hampshire.
At Dewing's suggestion, Prellwitz continued his training in Paris at the Academie Julian, where he worked from 1887 to 1890. During the summer of 1888, he visited Germany, before spending time in Giverny. In 1889 he visited San Marlo with the artist and illustrator Charles Dana Gibson.
After his return to the United States in 1890, Prellwitz opened a New York studio. He was an instructor of drawing from life at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn from about 1893 until 1912, and served as director of the Art Students League from 1894 to 1898.
In 1894, he married a fellow student from the League, Edith Mitchell, after the two painters renewed their acquaintance at the Holbein Studios. In 1895, the couple built a cottage in Cornish, where Prellwitz had spent the preceding four summers. In 1899, the year after this home was struck by lightening, the Prellwitz's began summering in Peconic, New York near their friends the painters Irving Wiles and Edward August Bell. This town on the North Fork was their summer residence from 1999 until 1914, after which time, the couple lived there permanently.
Known for his ideal compositions, Prellwitz was the recipient of numerous awards during his career. He was secretary of the Society of American Artists when that organization merged with the National Academy in 1906. In 1928, he became treasurer of the Academy, a position he held until his death in 1940. As his obituary in the Council Minutes noted, "Although he never entirely gave up painting, Mr. Prellwitz . . . devoted more and more of his time and energy to the welfare" of the Academy. A eulogy written for the Academy by John Taylor Arms noted: we of the National Academy hereby seek to record our admiration, and respect, and our affection for Henry Prellwitz, man and artist, who so long and so steadfastly served the Institution we represent. His life and his work constitute a worthy pattern for us to follow, and he leaves in our hearts, but the force of his personal example, the inspiration of his presence and the beauty of his memory.
At Dewing's suggestion, Prellwitz continued his training in Paris at the Academie Julian, where he worked from 1887 to 1890. During the summer of 1888, he visited Germany, before spending time in Giverny. In 1889 he visited San Marlo with the artist and illustrator Charles Dana Gibson.
After his return to the United States in 1890, Prellwitz opened a New York studio. He was an instructor of drawing from life at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn from about 1893 until 1912, and served as director of the Art Students League from 1894 to 1898.
In 1894, he married a fellow student from the League, Edith Mitchell, after the two painters renewed their acquaintance at the Holbein Studios. In 1895, the couple built a cottage in Cornish, where Prellwitz had spent the preceding four summers. In 1899, the year after this home was struck by lightening, the Prellwitz's began summering in Peconic, New York near their friends the painters Irving Wiles and Edward August Bell. This town on the North Fork was their summer residence from 1999 until 1914, after which time, the couple lived there permanently.
Known for his ideal compositions, Prellwitz was the recipient of numerous awards during his career. He was secretary of the Society of American Artists when that organization merged with the National Academy in 1906. In 1928, he became treasurer of the Academy, a position he held until his death in 1940. As his obituary in the Council Minutes noted, "Although he never entirely gave up painting, Mr. Prellwitz . . . devoted more and more of his time and energy to the welfare" of the Academy. A eulogy written for the Academy by John Taylor Arms noted: we of the National Academy hereby seek to record our admiration, and respect, and our affection for Henry Prellwitz, man and artist, who so long and so steadfastly served the Institution we represent. His life and his work constitute a worthy pattern for us to follow, and he leaves in our hearts, but the force of his personal example, the inspiration of his presence and the beauty of his memory.
