John Butler Yeats facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Butler Yeats
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John Butler Yeats by Alice Boughton
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| Born | 16 March 1839 Lawrencetown, County Down, Ireland
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| Died | 3 February 1922 (aged 82) |
| Resting place | Chestertown, New York |
| Education | Trinity College Dublin Heatherley School of Fine Art |
| Known for | Painting |
| Children | W. B. Yeats Lily Yeats Elizabeth Yeats Jack Butler Yeats |
John Butler Yeats (born March 16, 1839 – died February 3, 1922) was a talented Irish artist. He was the father of four well-known children: W. B. Yeats, Lily Yeats, Elizabeth "Lolly" Yeats, and Jack Butler Yeats.
The National Gallery of Ireland proudly displays many of his oil paintings and drawings. Among these is a portrait of his famous son, William, painted in 1900. His painting of John O'Leary from 1904 is often thought to be his best work.
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John Butler Yeats's Life as an Artist
John Butler Yeats was born in Lawrencetown, a small area in County Down, Ireland. He was the oldest of nine children. His parents were William Butler Yeats and Jane Grace Corbert.
He studied at Trinity College, Dublin, a famous university. John first started his career as a lawyer. However, in 1867, he decided to follow his passion for art. He began studying painting at the Heatherley School of Fine Art.
Early Career and Challenges
It's hard to know exactly how many paintings John Butler Yeats sold. There are not many records of his early art sales. Some of his first artworks might have even been lost in a fire during World War II.
Despite this, he seemed to get many requests for his art. His sketches and oil paintings can be found in homes across Ireland, England, and America. His later portraits show how well he could capture the feelings of the people he painted.
However, John Butler Yeats was not very good at managing money. He often struggled financially. Because of this, he moved homes many times. He also traveled back and forth between England and Ireland quite a bit.
Life in New York City
In 1907, when he was 68 years old, John Butler Yeats traveled to New York City. He sailed on a ship called the RMS Campania with his daughter Lily. He never returned to Ireland after this trip.
In October 1909, he moved into his last home. It was a boarding house run by the Petitpas sisters. While living in New York, he became friends with artists from the Ashcan School. This group of painters focused on everyday life in the city.
John Butler Yeats passed away in that boarding house on February 3, 1922. An artist named Edmund Quinn made a special mask of his face after he died. This mask is now kept by the Yeats Society in Sligo, Ireland. John Butler Yeats is buried in Chestertown Rural Cemetery in Chestertown, New York. He rests next to his friend, Jeanne Robert Foster.
John Butler Yeats's Family Life
John Butler Yeats married Susan Pollexfen on September 10, 1863. They were married at St. John's Church in Sligo. Susan was quite upset when her husband decided to stop being a lawyer and become an artist instead.
John and Susan had six children together:
- William Butler Yeats
- Susan Mary "Lily" Yeats
- Elizabeth Corbett "Lolly" Yeats
- Robert Corbet Yeats
- Jack Butler Yeats
- Jane Grace Yeats
Gallery
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Portrait of W. B. Yeats (1900)
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Self-portrait (1919)
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Portrait of Countess Constance Markievicz (before 1922); an Irish politician, revolutionary nationalist and suffragette; pencil drawing
See also
- List of Irish artists
