George Charles Aid

George Charles Aid studied at Académie Julian and Académie de la Grande Chaumière. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is painting. André Dauchez is recorded as an influence. Places of work recorded in the authority are Netherlands and Rotterdam. Work by George Charles Aid is recorded in the collections of Art Institute of Chicago, Smithsonian American Art Museum and The Johnson Collection. Distinctions recorded are silver medal.

• Name — George Charles Aid • Born — 1872 • Birthplace — Quincy, Illinois, U.S. • Died — 1938 • Place of death — Tryon, North Carolina, U.S. • Field — Painting, etching • Training — St. Louis School of Fine Arts - Académie Julian • Awards — Silver Medal St. Louis fair • Spouse — Mary Orr

George Charles Aid studied at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts in St. Louis and started working as an illustrator for various St. Louis newspapers. In 1899, he was granted a scholarship to travel and study in Paris, France. He registered at the Académie Julian and started working under Jean-Paul Laurens, Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant, Lucien Simon, and Charles Cottet at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. He exhibited his work in art venues in France and the US and won a silver medal at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. In 1906, the Swedish government purchased one of Aid's paintings as it was being shown at the Paris Salon. Aid and Clarence Gagnon, Huc-Mazelet Luquiens, and Herman Armour Webster were also invited to show his etching work. His work was reviewed by art critics such as Charles DeKay. Aid stayed in France for fifteen years, meeting other American artists like Richard E. Miller and Frederick Carl Frieseke. He also met a young music student from South Carolina named Mary Orr, who became his wife in 1910. The couple moved to Italy. After World War I started, George and Mary moved back to the United States. They travelled for several years, settling in Tryon, North Carolina, in 1920. They chose Tryon because, like in Europe, they could find both a vineyard and an artistic colony. During the 1920s, George Charles Aid became a reputable artist by teaching etching and doing portraits of prominent people of the Carolinas. He was also commissioned to paint The Baptism of Virginia Dare, commemorating early North Carolina history. The painting was later donated to the Mint Museum in Charlotte. George Charles Aid died in Tryon in 1938.