docfiles.Constant_Mayer Maven / Gradle / Ivy

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Constant Mayer (October 3, 1829 – May 12, 1911)[1] was a French painter who emigrated to the United States.Mayer was born in Besançon, France. The family was Jewish. He studied in Paris in the École des Beaux-Arts and under Léon Cogniet, and followed his profession in that city until 1857, when he moved to New York City. In 1869, he was made a chevalier of the Legion of Honor. He was elected an associate of the National Academy in 1866, and he was also a member of the American Art Union.Mayer died in Paris in 1911.[2]Mayer is best known by his life-sized genre pictures. He contributed frequently to the Paris Salon. His works include portraits of General Grant and General Sherman. Other works are:3. I have done a great deal of research on Mayer, with my interest beginning in relation to my owning one of his oil paintings, which is mentioned here. He was listed in several major, well researched Jewish encyclopedias from the earlier 1900s and, I believe, mentioned as Jewish in one or two more references I've found. A NYT article was about a young Jewish student whom Mayer helped get started in the art field. From what I've read, there was an active Jewish community in Besancon at the time of Mayer's birth. Someone with French connections once told me that in France "Mayer" is thought of as a Jewish name.