Gallery

Harrison Bird Brown was born in Portland, Maine in 1831 and died in London, England in 1915. He is best known for his marine paintings and White Mountain landscapes.

Brown began his career as a sign and banner painter. He also made survey drawings for John Bartlett in San Francisco in 1852. He painted in New England until he moved to London in 1892.

Brown exhibited at the National Academy of Design from 1858 until 1875, at the Philadelphia Exposition of 1876, and at the Boston Athenaeum in 1860 and 1863. He was also a frequent exhibitor at the Poland Spring Art Gallery.

On December 8, 1883, Brown opened a new studio to much fanfare in the Motley Block on Congress Street in Portland, ME. The location was formerly occupied by the Portland Society of Art. At the time of the opening, there were an estimated 150 sketches and paintings in the studio, with about 125 pictures hanging on the walls of the inner room.

In 1890 he produced two widely distributed illustrations of Crawford Notch for the Maine Central Railroad. In 1892 he was elected president of the Portland Society of Art. Shortly thereafter, he moved to England to be with his only surviving child, a daughter.

Brown’s paintings of White Mountain subjects date from 1859 to 1890.

His work has been preserved at the Portland Museum of Art, Colby College, and the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.

Obituary From The Lewiston Daily Sun
Lewiston, ME / Friday, March 12, 1915 / Page 5 / HARRISON BROWN DEAD

A cablegram announcing the death in London, Eng., of Harrison B. (Harry) Brown, the marine artist, was received in Portland Tuesday by Dr. Owen Smith from Mrs. Helen Brown Seaverns, a daughter of the painter. Mr. Brown was 85 years old and a native of that city. He was the only Maine artist who had paintings admitted to the National Academy of Design in New York City and a picture by him–much to the gratification of all Maine people–was exhibited in the Art Galleries of Memorial Hall at the time of the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.

His first great success was his painting of White Head and another notable picture from his brush was Diamond Cove, where Fort McKinley is now located. Many of his pictures were sold at high prices. Brown went to Europe where and received help from some of the masters, among them Tilton, another Portland artist.

On his return to this country he was engaged for a long time in painting marine views and occasionally did some portrait work.

Images of Harrision Bird Brown

Signatures

Image Credits
Right: Courtesy of the Maine Historical Society
Left: The Land and Sea of Five Maine Artists

References
Independent research by the authors
New Hampshire Scenery