Daniel Francois Santry was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts on August 31, 1859. He was one of five brothers born to Timothy and Ellen (Crowley) Santry. At the age of 18, Santry began taking painting lessons in Boston, and by 1881, he had saved enough money to further his art education in Paris, France.
While in Paris, Santry studied with Gustave Boulanger, Jules Lefebvre and M. Durand Ruel. He was heavily influenced by the work of Camille Pissarro and exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1886. By 1887, Santry was planning a return to Boston with a cache of approximately 100 pictures destined for the New England marketplace. In May of 1888, the young artist arrived from Antwerp aboard the steamship, Waesland. Upon his arrival in Boston, Santry rented a studio at 12 West Street, alongside notable artists Charles H. Turner, Charles F. Pierce and J. Harvey Young. Once Santry’s studio was established, he joined the Boston Art Club, where he exhibited his paintings between 1889 and 1891.
In 1892, Santry pursued an opportunity to become the Artist In Residence at the Sunset Hill House on Sugar Hill, near Franconia, NH. He soon began painting the local surroundings, with the noble peaks of Mt. Lafayette becoming a favorite subject. Santry maintained his association with the Sunset Hill House for 23 years. His White Mountain paintings from that period include: Mount Lafayette in Spring, A View of Lafayette and Franconia Village, and Old Farmhouse, Franconia.
In April of 1903, Santry had a large number of paintings on exhibition at Boston’s Beacon Art Galleries, which was followed by an auction sale. Many of these views were said to have been derived from sketches produced from the neighborhoods of Franconia, NH. Santry felt a strong connection to the Franconia area and eventually purchased a log cabin on Lafayette Road. This dwelling allowed the artist to remain in the community throughout the year, and to paint from nature, even during the winter months. Santry’s reputation continued to rise steadily, and he was selected as the first Artist In Residence at the newly constructed Mt. Washington Hotel.
During the winter of 1914, Santry became ill, which necessitated his return to the Boston area for treatment. Unfortunately, the artist was unable to fully recover from his ailments and died on May 20, 1915, of heart failure. He was just 55 years old. Santry is buried in a family plot at the Mount Calvary Cemetery, Mattapan, MA.
Having spent nearly a quarter of a century capturing the local area on canvas, Daniel Santry had become to Franconia what Benjamin Champney had been to North Conway a generation prior. His importance to the community was documented in an obituary printed in the Thursday, June 3, 1915 edition of the Littleton Currier newspaper.
Death of Daniel Santry
This community was saddened by the news of the sudden death of Daniel Santry at the hospital in Boston on May 20th. The cause of his death was heart failure. Mr. Santry was an artist of renown. He came to Franconia first over 20 years ago and for the last 10 years has lived here for the greater part of the time. He was kind hearted and generous, genial and pleasant, and will be missed by a wide circle of friends.
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References
Rediscovering Some New England Artists
Who Was Who in American Art
Independent research by the authors