William Anderson Coffin
William Anderson Coffin (1855–1925) was an American landscape and figure painter. He also was an art critic, working for the New York Post and Harper's Weekly. In 1917 he would be awarded the French Legion of Honor.
Also recorded as William A. Coffin · William Coffin · w.a. coffin · coffin w.a.
William Anderson Coffin

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- Name
- William Anderson Coffin
- Born
- 31 January 1855
- Birthplace
- Allegheny, Pennsylvania
- Died
- 26 October 1925
- Place of death
- New York, New York
- Known for
- Painting
- Training
- Yale University
- Awards
- Second Hallgarten Prize (1886)
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- painter · journalist · art critic
- Fields
- landscape
- Honours
- Legion of Honour
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William Anderson Coffin (1855–1925) was an American landscape and figure painter. He also was an art critic, working for the New York Post and Harper's Weekly. In 1917 he would be awarded the French Legion of Honor.
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In this article
Biography
Biography
William Anderson Coffin studied at Yale University. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are landscape. Work by William Anderson Coffin is recorded in the collections of Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum and Brooklyn Museum. Distinctions recorded are Legion of Honour.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — William Anderson Coffin • Born — 31 January 1855 • Birthplace — Allegheny, Pennsylvania • Died — 26 October 1925 • Place of death — New York, New York • Known for — Painting • Training — Yale University • Awards — Second Hallgarten Prize (1886)
Personal life and education
Personal life and education
Coffin was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, to James Gardiner Coffin and Isabella C. Anderson, on January 31, 1855. He graduated with a degree in fine art from Yale University in 1874. Three years later he would move to Paris, France, where he would study under Léon Bonnat. In 1882 he moved to New York City. The Coffin family had a farm in Jennerstown, Pennsylvania, which is now the site of Pine Springs Camp, which would appear in many of his landscape paintings. He died on October 26, 1925, in New York City.
Artistic career
Artistic career
While in Paris Coffin would exhibit his work at the Paris Salon in 1879, 1880 and 1882. Upon moving to New York, he would exhibit at the National Academy of Design and write as an art critic for Harper's Weekly, Scribner's Magazine, New York Post, and served as art editor for The Sun. In Buffalo, New York, he directed the Fine Arts Division for the Pan-American Exposition. Coffin served as a member of the New York Advisory Board for the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in 1915. He served as president of the American Artists' Committee of One Hundred, which established a relief fund for families of French artists that served in World War I. In 1917 he was awarded the French Legion of Honor for his charitable work. He was also a member of the Architectural League of New York, the Lotos Club and the National Academy of Design.
Gallery
Gallery
• Illustration — Saturday Night in August -- Eighth Avenue, ca. 1900 • Illustration — Kenyon Cox • Illustration — September, ca. 1907
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Allegheny.
Birth place
New York City.
Death place
Legacy
In 1970, his papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Stewart Klonis, who was gifted the papers by Mrs. DeWitt M. Lockman of Manorville, New York.
Notable collections
• Kenyon Cox; Smithsonian American Art Museum • Saturday Night in August – Eighth Avenue, c. 1900; Brooklyn Museum
References
Citations
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People, houses and institutions
Knowledge graph
People, houses and institutions
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Studied at
1- Yale UniversityOrganisation
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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 28 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Paintings
18,792 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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- William AndersonArtist
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- William ArtaudArtist
- William AshfordArtist
- William Ayerst IngramArtist
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