Ernest Lee Major
Also recorded as Ernest Major · Ernest L. Major
Ernest Lee Major

Joseph DeCamp · [1] · Public domain
- Name
- Ernest Lee Major
- Education
- Corcoran Gallery of Art, Art Students League of New York
- Awards
- Panama–Pacific International Exposition silver medal Ernest Lee Major (1864–1950) was an American painter.
- Born
- 1864
- Died
- 1950
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wikidata · Q21978966 · wikipedia · Ernest Lee Major
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Ernest Lee Major • Education — Corcoran Gallery of Art, Art Students League of New York • Awards — Panama–Pacific International Exposition silver medal Ernest Lee Major (1864–1950) was an American painter. • Illustration — Major's wife, by fellow Boston artist Joseph DeCamp
Early life and education
Early life and education
Originally from the Washington DC area, Major first studied under E. C. Messer at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, then at the Art Students League of New York with William Merritt Chase. A Harper Hargarten Prize provided him with the opportunity to travel to Europe, where he studied under Gustave Boulanger and Jules Joseph Lefebvre.
Career
Career
Returning to the United States in 1888, Major taught at Cowles Art School until he took a teaching post in 1896 at Massachusetts Normal Art School. From 1908, he moved to Fenway Studios, where he taught private lessons and painted. Major's work won a silver medal at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in 1915, and also the Bok Prize in 1917. Upon Major's death, the Vose Galleries displayed his works in a memorial exhibit.

ERNEST LEE MAJOR (American, 1864-1950) Zinnias and Carnations oil on canvas signed Ernest L Major verso
Ernest Lee Major

Grazing in a Summer Pasture, oil on canvas, 30 x 25 in (76.2 x 63.5 cm), signed lower left,
Ernest Lee Major
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 25 August 2026.
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