Biography: Edwin Austin Abbey
Abbey was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1852. He studied art at the Pennsylvania
Academy of the Fine Arts. He moved to England in 1878 where he was made a full member
of the Royal Academy in 1898. In 1902 he was chosen to paint the coronation of King
Edward VII. It was the official painting of the occasion and, hence, resides at Buckingham
Palace. In 1907 he declined an offer of knighthood in order to retain his U.S. citizenship.
Friendly with other expatriate American artists, he summered at Broadway, Worcestershire,
England, where he painted and vacationed alongside John Singer Sargent.