Jefferson David Chalfant (1856 – 1931)
Jefferson David Chalfant was an American artist who was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, although he moved to Wilmington in Delaware when he was a young man and spent the rest of his life there. He started painting in the early 1880s without any proper training but soon showed a natural talent. His early works were mainly still-lifes and landscapes which he sold to private collectors. Chalfant went on to display his work at various exhibitions including the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the National Academy of Design. In 1890, he moved to Paris for two years where he learned how to paint figures under the tuition of William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Jules Joseph Lefebvre. Chalfant liked to paint his still-lifes, using a method known as, trompe l’oeil. (See the painting, “The Old Flintlock” below.) This amazing painting technique was made popular in the late 19th century by William Michael Harnett.
Displaying 7 Artworks
