James Perry Wilson

American (1892-1976)

Artist James Perry Wilson was born in Bordenton, New Jersey in 1892. Wilson graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia University in 1913 and went on to work as a draftsman and designer for noted architectural firms for the next twenty years. During this time he attended the National Academy of Design, studying under John Carlson. Wilson worked in both watercolors and oils, and he was well known for his dioramas, combining his love of art, architecture, and nature. He completed over sixty during his career, including those done while he served as the artist-in-residence at the Museum of Science in Boston. Wilson worked for the American Museum of Natural History for over twenty years, producing over thirty dioramas for the museum. He also completed works for the Peabody Museum in New Haven (Connecticut), the Litchfield Connecticut Museum Nature Center, the Royal Museum of Ottawa, and the Hayden Planetarium. In the 1950s Wilson was commissioned by ìLife Magazineî to paint desert scenes for the ìTime-Lifeî book, ìThe World We Live In.î Wilson traveled extensively during his career and had a particular fondness for Monhegan Island, Maine where he often spent his summers painting the rocky cliffs and coast.