William H. W. Bicknell

William Harry Bicknell (American, 1860-1943)

Born in Boston in 1860, William Harry Bicknell would remain true to his New England roots, working primarily in the New England area. He was a pupil of Otto Grundmann and the Boston Museum School, as well as a pupil of Frederic Crowninshield. Known for his etchings, Bicknell was active throughout the New England area, especially in Massachusetts.

A resident of Provincetown, Massachusetts for several years, Bicknell was a member of the Provincetown Art Association from 1918 until 1943. In 1926, his address was listed as Arlington Street in Winchester, Massachusetts. Here, too, he was a member of the city’s art association. He was also a member of the Boston Society of Etchers, the Copley Society of Etchers in Boston (1880), and the Chicago Society of Etchers (1880).

Bicknell won the bronze medal at the St. Louis Exposition in 1904. He died in 1943. Currently, his works can be found at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Chicago Art Institute, the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., at the New York Public Library, and at the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, New York.

Pertinent literature:

"Bicknell, William Harry Warren." A Dictionary of American Artists, Sculptors, and Engravers ed. William Young (Cambridge: William Young and Co., 1968).

"Bicknell, William Harry Warren." Mantle Fielding’s Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors, and Engravers. ed. Glenn B. Opitz (Poughkeepsie: Apollo, 1983).

"Bicknell, W(illiam) H(arry) W(arren)." Who was Who in American Art. ed. Peter Hastings Falk (Madison: Sound View Press, 1985).

Provincetown Painters. ed. Ronald A. Kuchta. (United States of America: Visual Artis Publications, Inc., 1977).

[Taken from the internet web site of Comenos Fine Arts, www.comenosfinearts.com, 2/7/2000 --jag]