William Victor Higgins
William Victor Higgins (June 28, 1884 – August 23, 1949) was an American painter and teacher, born in Shelbyville, Indiana. At the age of fifteen, he moved to Chicago, where he studied at the Art Institute in Chicago and at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. In Paris he was a pupil of Robert Henri, René Menard and Lucien Simon, and when he was in Munich he studied with Hans von Hayek.
Also recorded as Victor Higgins · W. Victor Higgins · Higgins
William Victor Higgins

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- Name
- Victor Higgins
- Birth Name
- William Victor Higgins
- Born
- 28 June 1884
- Birthplace
- Shelbyville, Indiana, U.S.
- Died
- 23 August 1949
- Place of death
- Taos, New Mexico, U.S.
- Education
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Known for
- Painting
- Movement
- Taos Society of Artists
- Spouse
- Sara Parsons; Marion Koogler McNay
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- painter
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William Victor Higgins (June 28, 1884 – August 23, 1949) was an American painter and teacher, born in Shelbyville, Indiana. At the age of fifteen, he moved to Chicago, where he studied at the Art Institute in Chicago and at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. In Paris he was a pupil of Robert Henri, René Menard and Lucien Simon, and when he was in Munich he studied with Hans von Hayek.
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wikidata · Q8019725 · wikipedia · William Victor Higgins
In this article
Biography
Biography
He was an associate of the National Academy of Design. Higgins moved to Taos, New Mexico in 1913 and joined the Taos Society of Artists (alongside E. Irving Couse, Joseph Henry Sharp, Oscar E. Berninghaus and others) in 1917. In 1923 he was on the founding board of the Harwood Foundation with Elizabeth (Lucy) Harwood and Bert Phillips.
William Victor Higgins studied at School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Work by William Victor Higgins is recorded in the collections of Art Institute of Chicago, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Detroit Institute of Arts and Dallas Museum of Art.
Indian Paint Brush by Victor Higgins, 1924-27, oil on canvas, New Mexico Museum of Art
William Victor Higgins · New Mexico Museum of Art

Floral watercolor by William Victor Higgins, 14.25 x 20.25 inches
William Victor Higgins · Liveauctioneers.com
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Victor Higgins • Birth Name — William Victor Higgins • Born — 28 June 1884 • Birthplace — Shelbyville, Indiana, U.S. • Died — 23 August 1949 • Place of death — Taos, New Mexico, U.S. • Resting Place — Sierra Vista Cemetery, Taos, New Mexico, U.S. • Education — Art Institute of Chicago • Known for — Painting • Style — Realist, modernist • Movement — Taos Society of Artists • Spouse — Sara Parsons; Marion Koogler McNay • Patrons — Carter Harrison IV • Illustration — The White Gate (1919)
Personal
Personal
He married Sara Parsons, daughter of Santa Fe painter, Sheldon Parsons, and they had a daughter, Joan. He was later briefly married to Marion Koogler McNay of San Antonio, Texas.
Artwork
Artwork
While living in New Mexico, he often painted portraits of Native American women. During the Depression, he was commissioned to paint a mural inside the Taos County Courthouse financed by the PWAP, titled Moises, El Legislador. • Illustration — WLA ima Higgins Indian Girl with Parrot and Hoop Among his paintings are: • "Winter Funeral," in Harwood Museum of Art, Taos, New Mexico • "Moorland Gorse and Bracken," in the Municipal Gallery, Chicago • "Moorland Piper," Terre Haute Art Association • "Juanito, the Suspicious Cat," In the Union League Club, Chicago • "Women of Taos," Santa Fe Railroad • "A Shrine to St. Anthony," Des Moines Association of Fine Arts • "Fiesta Day," Butler Art Institute, Youngstown, Ohio • "Pueblo of Taos," Los Angeles Museum • "Indian at Stream," Los Angeles Museum • "Taos from the Hillside," Richmond Art Museum • "Baking Bread, Taos", Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis • "The Blue Shawl", Eiteljorg Museum • "Talpa Landscape", Eiteljorg Museum • "Abiquiu Country", Eiteljorg Museum • "New Mexico Skies", Snite Museum of Art • "Taos Street in Winter", New Mexico Museum of Art • "Floral Still Life", New Mexico Museum of Art • "Pablita Passes", New Mexico Museum of Art • "Indian Paint Brush," New Mexico Museum of Art • "Oka and Walmacho," University of Michigan Museum of Art • "Arroyo Landscape," Smithsonian American Art Museum • "Mountain Forms #2," Smithsonian American Art Museum • "Valley Spring," Smithsonian American Art Museum • "A Market Place in France," Medicine Man Gallery
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Shelbyville.
Birth place
Taos.
Death place
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
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 19 August 2026.
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