William Henry Holmes

American (1846-1933)

William Henry Holmes was born in Ohio in 1846. Holmes went through the public school system in Georgetown, Ohio before heading to Washington D.C. to study with Theodore Kaufmann and at the Munich Academy of Arts in Germany. From these experiences, Holmes began making sketches of specimens for the Smithsonian. In 1872, Holmes became the field artist for the United States Geological Survey of Yellowstone National Park. The expedition was crucial in the development of Holmes’s future career choices, as he eventually became a geologist as well as an artist.

While Holmes worked for several museums and governmental bureaus, his most celebrated position was as the director of the National Gallery of Art. Holmes was a member of the Washington Watercolor Club, Washington Society of Fine Art, Society of Washington Artists, and Cosmos. His artwork showed in many different venues during his lifetime, including the Concoran Gallery, the National Academy of Design, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Boston Art Club, and the Brooklyn Art Association. The National Portrait Gallery has a collection of Holmes’s watercolors to this day and the National Park Service also owns some of his works.